A New Look at Old Bay with Classic Shrimp Scampi
My grandmother, who lived in Maryland, had a wire rack that hung from the back of her kitchen door and was filled with all sorts of ancient, bizarre foodstuffs: cans of jellied beef consommé; packages of sardines; and containers of spices, the labels of which had long since faded to illegibility.
One jar, however, always stood out against the sea of sun-bleached McCormick tins: the bright red, yellow, and blue canister of Old Bay Seasoning. I didn't have much use for the stuff as a child (I was seafood-phobic, and found it much too spicy), but recently, I decided to revisit the iconic spice blend.
My renewed interest in Old Bay was born out of my love of rubs for meat, poultry, and fish. Lately, I've been experimenting with Fire & Flavor's Collection (the French Mustard & Herb Blend is especially delicious), as well as a maple sugar rub I picked up at the Wood Homestead stand at my local farmers' market. But with all the fancy options available, I suddenly felt compelled to go back to the basics. Old Bay has been around—with the same exact formula, in the same exact tin—for almost 70 years. Wasn't it high time I gave it another try?
The Old Bay website has an extensive index of recipes for all the usual dishes—crab cakes, tuna melts, and shrimp dip—as well as few that were unexpected (Old Bay Martinis, anyone?). I decided to make a classic Shrimp Scampi, with a few alterations: I cut back a bit on the oil, and I used a small handful of minced, fresh flat-leaf parsley in place of the parsley flakes.
The recipe came together in minutes and was tremendously successful. The shrimp were so tender, flavorful, and spicy they didn't need any garnish except a squeeze of lemon. On a whim, I sliced a baking potato into rounds, tossed them with salt, pepper, and Old Bay, and broiled them. Served alongside a puddle of ketchup, they made superb oven fries.
One of the best things about spice blends and rubs is they make meal preparation quick and easy. And while I'm not sure if I'm ready to follow in my grandmother's footsteps, and forge an affection for gelatinous soups or brined fish, I'm certainly glad to have my own tin of Old Bay on the shelf of my little Brooklyn Kitchen.
Shrimp Scampi
- makes 2 to 4 servings -
Adapted from Old Bay.
Ingredients
1/4-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2-2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Procedure
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Do not brown.
2. Add shrimp and sprinkle evenly with Old Bay. Cook shrimp about 1-2 minutes on each side, until pink throughout. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.
3. Serve over pasta or rice, if desired.
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21 Comments:
I had no idea there were so many variations. I hated Old Bay as a child and still do today, but maybe I'd like one of the other combinations?
PerkyMac at 11:54AM on 10/01/08
I discovered Old Bay 8 years ago when we were at a tavern in Maryland with some friends. I was raised eating seafood, but no one used Old Bay in Hawaii nor is it used in Japanese cooking. :P
If you don't care for celery salt flavor, you (still) won't like Old Bay. I am not fond of celery seed/salt, but in small doses, it's pretty good.
Anyway, my husband loves the poop out of Old Bay seasoning since our trip to Maryland so we have all of the variations pictured. They've been out for some time.
Every couple months, we'll have shrimp and french fries for dinner since it's a no-brainer meal when we're raiding on WoW (EQ before that) and don't have time to be in the kitchen except for occasional 2-3 minute intervals. My husband sprinkles OB over the shrimp when they are being steamed, and sprinkles some over steak fries as they bake in the oven.
Cassaendra at 12:04PM on 10/01/08
growing up in md, i swear it was practically sacrilege to not like old bay (which I don't). i will make one exception though - on french fries, it's delicious.
sarahlucy at 12:41PM on 10/01/08
I'm not big on the celery seed component, either, but use OB or Bubba Screamin' Crab Boil in a tuna-mushroom-noodle casserole that does quite firmly NOT use canned soup. (Although I would in a pinch and then lie about it....) It's a great picker-upper.
lemons at 1:01PM on 10/01/08
Interesting - I like celery salt and love celery seed. I can't put my finger on what tasted so nasty to me and I'm not normally a picky eater. Lovin' the name Bubba Screamin' Crab Boil, but guessing it's got lots of cayenne or hot sauce and I have acid reflux - not a good combo. Oh well. I do have a great scampi recipe, so no tears here. ;-)
PerkyMac at 1:18PM on 10/01/08
Echoing sarahlucy, growing up in MD this stuff is ubiquitous. When I moved out and raided my parents' kitchen for spices, I took the towering yellow can of Old Bay. It's good in everything in small amounts. Matter of fact, I just used a couple tsp in a pot roast last night. I love the stuff, and I'm pretty sure that's only partly due to nostalgia.
foodpornaddict at 4:01PM on 10/01/08
My mom grew up in MD, so she always had it mailed to her... even buried in the depths of a South Dakota winter, we'd be eating boiled shrimp or deviled eggs sprinkled with the seaside flavor of Old Bay... happy memories for me.
Utz makes Old Bay potato chips, too... but I don't think I've seen them outside of Maryland. That might make a good recipe for a home cook: home-fried chips with Old Bay sprinkles... Mmm...
missginsu at 5:09PM on 10/01/08
If you like your scampi with some sauce from the cooking liquid, try reducing a bottle of clam juice (old cooks trick) in the pot before adding back the partially cooked shrimp. A hit of extra flavor that keeps 'em coming back for more.
Fred Rickson at 6:06PM on 10/01/08
And, one more scampi trick is to put one or two anchovies into the mix. Your scampi appreciation will rise. In case you can't tell, scampi is one of my personal favorites.
Fred Rickson at 6:13PM on 10/01/08
For the longest time, I had Old Spice and Old Bay confused. Then I asked a friend if he was wearing Old Bay.
Hilarity ensued.
Lilly at 7:20PM on 10/01/08
Old Bay rocks on buttered corn-on-the-cob.
kurteye at 8:27PM on 10/01/08
My family (on my father's side) is from Nova Scotia where I lived as a child. Fish chowder was a popular dish in our house (not clam chowder since we're kosher). I live in Brooklyn now and often make fish chowder but add Old Bay which is a seasoning my mother never used. It really adds a nice dimension.
SavtaShayna at 5:24PM on 10/02/08
Old Bay + Grilled Asparagus = YUM
sweethunibabi at 12:25AM on 10/03/08
A staple in my house. Although I did not realize they make so many varities. Will have to see if I can find the low sodium one.
Maryland Crab
Maryland Crab at 12:21PM on 10/03/08
Try Old Bay on the rim of the glass for a bloody mary...i bet you wont go back to a plain old mary after that!
uppitymatt at 4:12PM on 10/03/08
Old bay in the boiling pot of water in which you are refreshing your recently killed and cleaned whole dungeness crab ... which, after you crack and pull out the tender, sweet, wonderful meat, you place (gently!) on top of a slice of good sourdough and then drizzle with melted butter ... with which you wash down with champagne . . . um . .. I gotta go! (Slam) (Vrooooooom)
funchefchick at 12:13AM on 10/04/08
Love Old Bay in everything. It's great in macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and as a seasoning on microwave potato chips. Also great in twice stuffed bakers.
Jilly at 9:11AM on 10/06/08
Here we go again :
kanopemainer at 9:48AM on 10/06/08
Here we go again :
" SHRIMP " " SHRIMP "
kanopemainer at 9:49AM on 10/06/08
Yes, I'm from MD, and Old Bay is the best! I use it in our omelets, on our fries, on corn on the cob, in chicken divan...and of course, in any type of seafood. Our crabcakes are the best because of the Old Bay. I wouldn't eat one anywhere else anymore because that's the missing ingredient.
warmfood at 12:30PM on 10/06/08
I was making deviled eggs for a party and was in a hurry. I mistakenly grabbed the Old Bay tin instead of Coleman's dried mustard. The combination was delicious, so now I have a new deviled egg recipe.
Josdean at 3:39PM on 10/06/08