The Iconic Seasoning Potato Lovers Need To Keep On Hand

The Mid-Atlantic coast in the United States is famous for its fresh, delicious seafood, and that reputation is well-earned. Throughout the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, and many surrounding areas, you'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that doesn't serve some of the freshest, most delicious shrimp and crab you've ever tasted. Plus, most restaurants would never dream of serving their seafood offerings without the classic seasoning present at every fish fry in Maryland: Old Bay seasoning.

While the full seasoning recipe is a closely guarded secret, we do know a little about what exactly goes into Old Bay, such as some of the original 19 ingredients (including celery salt, paprika, red and black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg). The modern recipe only contains 18 ingredients, and we can only confirm that salt, celery seed, paprika, mustard, and red and black pepper are still used. However, both versions still carry that signature smoky, spicy, umami flavor that's not only the perfect topper for seafood, but pretty much any potato dish you can name.

Potatoes are notoriously bland on their own, but that's just a blank slate for us to fill with the intense, salty deliciousness of Old Bay. When contemplating what to sprinkle on your frozen french fries or how to season your homemade chips made with instant mashed potatoes, Old Bay is the perfect way to please your palate. Tangy like sour cream and onion, smoky like barbecue, sweet like chili lime — there are few flavor profiles this combination doesn't hit.

Old Bay is a fantastic seasoning blend to keep in your pantry, not just because it's delicious, but also because it reduces the amount of time you spend seasoning your favorite brand of tater tots, curly fries, or steak frites fresh from the air fryer. Instead of painstakingly mixing and tasting a DIY blend, you can just salt bae some Old Bay onto your snack and cue up your favorite film for movie night. McCormick has even expanded its Old Bay collection to give you a few flavors of this classic blend to explore, including garlic and herb, lemon and herb, blackened seasoning, and a spicy blend for those who douse everything in hot sauce.

Any of these could be a tasty and interesting way to experiment with seasoning stale potato chips revived in your air fryer; simply toss the hot chips in the Old Bay blend of your choice, being sure to choose one that blends well with the original flavor of your chips. Barbecue chips could go well with the blackened seasoning or the spicy version; salt and vinegar chips might take on new life with the lemon and herb blend; and garlic and herb may be the perfect way to zhuzh up sour cream and onion chips. Of course, Old Bay's perfect snack pairings aren't limited to potatoes — popcorn is a given, but you can also use it to flavor homemade Chex mix or buttery, toasted snack crackers.