Homemade Old Bay Seasoning Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I use as a substitute for Old Bay seasoning? ›

Some popular substitutions for Old Bay include crab boil, cajun seasoning, and celery salt mixed with paprika. When using a substitute, make sure to start with a small amount to begin with and taste as you go. Sometimes, an alternative can change your dish's flavor profile slightly, so it is best to go slow.

While the exact ingredients are not revealed on the label or the brand's website, Old Bay reportedly has a mix of 18 spices. It has a complex savory flavor, with bay leaf, celery salt, dry mustard, and pepper at the forefront. Paprika and various other spices add depth and make this a well-rounded seasoning.

Most of the flavor comes from mustard, paprika and celery salt, along with mace, nutmeg, bay leaf, red pepper and cardamom, and while it's an obvious pairing with seafood, it's also a surprising twist on fried rice and chickpeas. Even now, I'm eating fistfuls of popcorn dusted with Old Bay. For inspiration.

Bay leaves compliment acids and also emphasize the umami flavors in chilis, sauces, and stews. If you don't have whole or ground bay leaves, you can use dried Greek oregano or dried thyme in its place.

Flavor Profile: If you want a seafood-style flavor without using Old Bay, try Chesapeake Dirt or Todd's Dirt Seasoning, which have similar notes but less heat. On the other hand, Cajun seasoning is an excellent alternative if you want something more spicy and flavorful than traditional Old Bay.

When you use too much it can make your food salty and/or spicy. It doesn't need to go in everything related to seafood. If you serve seafood and its in your tartar sauce, co*cktail sauce, all you breadings/batters and seasoning blends, you might be using too much.

Because of its complex balance of ingredients, it's delicious on everything from seafood to chicken, pizza and pasta, corn, salads & more. In fact, OLD BAY is more than a seasoning – it is an experience.

Everyone in Maryland knows about Old Bay Seasoning, as the spice that was traditionally used for seafood has grown to be an icon in the state!

We all prefer Zatarain's boil over home mixes or Old Bay. It is spicy and infuses a lovely flavor in foods. I even add a little of the boiled water to gumbos and jambalayas as it enhances the spices I add myself.

OLD BAY® Seasoning has a shelf life of 540 days when tightly closed and stored in a cool, dry place, to protect against flavor loss and moisture.

Are Cajun and Old Bay the same? ›

In a word: No. While Cajun seasoning comes in many varieties, Old Bay is a specific brand, though you can make our Old Bay copycat recipe at home. Most Cajun seasoning blends are spicier than Old Bay, and Old Bay contains ingredients like bay leaf, celery salt, and mustard that aren't usually in Cajun spice blends.

Dried herbs and spices don't truly expire or “go bad” in the traditional sense. When a spice is said to have gone bad, it simply means that it has lost most of its flavor, potency, and color. Fortunately, consuming a spice that has gone bad is unlikely to make you sick.

Thyme and Oregano are the best universal substitutions for bay leaf. Fresh basil is sweeter than a bay leaf but makes a good bay leaf alternative in Italian dishes. Dried basil has a peppery taste like bay leaves making it a great alternative for bay leaf substitution.

A seafood boil's seasonings usually lean towards the spicy side, Cajun or Creole is flavor. You can pick up a big old container of Cajun seasoning or mix up some salt, pepper, granulated garlic, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, dried basil and oregano, onion powder and paprika.

Old Bay is a type of seasoning made from 18 different herbs and spices, including mustard, celery salt, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, paprika, and bay leaves.