Keep Canned Salmon Patties From Tasting Flat With This Iconic Seafood Seasoning

Canned salmon is hands down one of the best canned seafoods to keep in your pantry. It's more flavorful than tuna, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and is usually ready to eat right out of the can. Its high protein content, ringing in at 23.6 grams for every 100-gram serving, means that you get a filling, substantial meal out of a can or two. It's also incredibly versatile and can be upgraded through a variety of recipes that cover you from breakfast to dinner. The catch is that it can taste a little blander compared to fresh salmon, so without the right recipes or seasonings, your fish can fall flat.

If you're planning on making patties out of your canned salmon, you can make their flavor pop with an iconic seasoning from Chesapeake Bay: Old Bay. This 18-ingredient blend of secret herbs and spices is packed with zesty, lively flavors, making it an ideal match with seafood. Its pairing with fish in particular is so good, in fact, that even McDonald's acknowledged it by briefly releasing a version of the Filet-O-Fish with Old Bay mixed into the tartar sauce.

It's no wonder, then, that several recipes for canned salmon patties suggest mixing the seasoning straight into the fish to jazz up its flavor. You can also take a cue from a common mistake people make with salmon cakes and add some liquid to make sure your patties don't dry out.

It's difficult to determine exactly why Old Bay seasoning works so well with canned salmon patties, as the recipe has been kept a secret ever since it was created by German refugee Gustav Brunn in 1939. When McCormick purchased the rights in 1990, it decided to keep the ingredients under wraps, so it's unlikely we'll ever know what exactly goes into Old Bay seasoning.

However, that hasn't stopped people from trying to replicate Old Bay's distinct flavor. One Old Bay substitute recipe online mixes together celery salt, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and ginger — if you're keeping count, that's just 11 ingredients, which is seven short of the actual blend. Another copycat recipe uses only nine total, dropping the cardamom, allspice, and cloves, and adding in ground bay leaves instead. While they may come close in flavor, it's just not quite the same as Brunn's original recipe.

If you do get your hands on the real stuff, do know that you can enjoy it outside of seafood, too. Old Bay goes excellent with poultry and, if you're feeling adventurous, can also take ice cream to the next level. Whatever it's made of, Old Bay is really good stuff.