Rubs and barbecue
Old Bay seasoning
A Chesapeake Bay seafood seasoning of celery salt, paprika and pepper.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for cooks, makers and the curious.
Old Bay is a brand-name seasoning created in Baltimore in the 1940s for the crab and shrimp of the Chesapeake Bay. It is celery salt, paprika, black and red pepper and other spices. The exact recipe is said to include eighteen ingredients and has not been fully published.
What goes in
- Celery salt531%, Savoury.
- Paprika425%, Colour.
- Black pepper213%, Bite.
- Mustard213%, Sharp.
- Bay leaf16%, Resinous.
- Cayenne16%, Heat.
- Allspice16%, Warm.
Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.
Made step by step
Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.
Step 1: Grind Grind the bay leaf to a fine powder. Step 2: Grind Grind the allspice and mustard finely. Step 3: Blend Combine with the celery salt, paprika, pepper and cayenne. Step 4: Blend Sift to remove lumps. Step 5: Infuse Add a spoon to the water when boiling shellfish. Step 6: Store Store in a tin or jar. Finished Old Bay seasoning, by share.
Home versions
Cooks often copy the style with celery salt, paprika, pepper, mustard, bay, clove, allspice, ginger and mace. These imitations are widely shared, though each is only an approximation.
Use
It goes in the boiling water for crab or shrimp, on fries and popcorn, in crab cakes and on fried chicken. In Maryland it is a local icon.
Where it is used
The spices in it
PaprikaColour.
Bay leafResinous.
Black pepperThe dried fruit of a climbing vine, the world's most traded spice.
Mustard seedTiny seeds from Brassica plants that become a sharp condiment or cooking oil.
AllspiceThe dried green berry of a tropical tree, named for its blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes.Also part of it, and being written: Celery salt (Savoury.).
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Allspice: Unknown author, CC BY 2.5, source
- Bay leaf: Χρήστης:Andrikkos / The original uploader was Andrikkos at Greek Wikip, Public domain, source
- Paprika: Takkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mustard seed: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Black pepper: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source