two slices bread, crusts removed
milk sufficient to moisten bread
one pound backfin crabmeat, picked through and cleaned
one quarter teaspoon salt
one teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
one tablespoon baking powder
one tablespoon chopped parsley
one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
one tablespoon mayonnaise
three to four tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

Since crabmeat bought in the store comes from crabs that are picked by people in a factory setting, clean crabmeat and pick through looking for any pieces of shell or cartilage. Pick over carefully to and try not to break up any of the large chunks of crab. The better crabcakes are those that have nice big chunks of crab meat visible on the outside.

Break bread into small pieces and moisten with milk; combined with the remaining ingredients and mix together well. Shape into four to six patties. Fry crabcakes in hot oil until browned; flip and brown other side.

Instead of frying, you may broil for about five minutes to each side; turning pver when one side has browned.

Serve with mayonnaise, tartar sauce or lemon wedges. Maybe served plain or on hamburger buns. Serve additional Old Bay Seasoning on the side.

This is the classic recipe for which Old Bay Seasoning was created. At the time of the creation of Old Bay Seasoning crabs we’re so abundant in the Chesapeake Bay that they were served in bars and given away for free. The saltiness of this crab seasoning mix helped bartenders to sell more beer. The seasoning doesn’t actually get into the crabs, but instead stays on the shell and seasons the crab meat indirectly by hand contact while eating the crabs. So a variation of this recipe is to add the seasoning as the crabs are removed from the pot and are still wet (remember a little goes a long way).

Maryland Steamed Crabs

For each dozen crabs use:
2 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
3 tablespoon salt
water and vinegar

Use a large pot, such as a canner, with a raised rack in the bottom at least 2 inches above bottom of the pot (a round barbecue grill sitting on bricks or stones works well). Fill pot with equal quantities of vinegar and water to just below the level of the rack. Add craps to pot in layers, sprinkling each layer of live crabs^*** with the mixture of Old Bay Seasoning and salt. Cover and steam until crabs or red, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve crabs immediately. Because seafood spoils quickly, keep crabs warm in steamer or promptly refrigerate.

Serve steamed crab on a table covered with paper for easy cleanup and with plenty of cold beer. Melted butter seasoned with a little Old Bay Seasoning is often served on the side. Have plenty of paper towels handy.

^***When adding crabs to pot, make sure the crab is alive. Crabs spoil quickly and any dead crabs should be discarded.

Old Bay Seafood One Step seasoning is a great way to make a quick meal without thinking about how to blend spices and how much vinegar or lemon to add. Everything is already mix and is in the sealed package. Now, Old Bay Seafood One Step isn’t simply Old Bay Seasoning mixed with flavors of vinegar and lemon, it’s a mix with some interesting heat and flavors. We have already made a post about Old Bay Steamed Shrimp, so if that’s what you want here is the Old Bay Steamed Shrimp recipe.

Here is a close up picture of Old Bay Seafood One Step Spicy Blend. If you look closely, you’ll see it’s made with a variety of spices. The official ingredient list on the box says “Ingredients: Spices (Including Red Pepper, Mustard Seed, Black Pepper, and Coriander), and Lemon Peel.” Looking at the picture of the spices in Old Bay Seafood One-Step I also see Whole Black Pepper, crushed Bay Leaves, Cloves, Fennel, & Poppy Seed. When you open the package you’ll know there is lemon peel in the mixture. Believe Me!

So this is such a simple way to make steamed shrimp. What you do is bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large stock pot, and then add the Old Bay Seafood One-Step. Mix well, then add up to four pounds of shrimp, mix well, heat back to a full boil and cook over medium to high heat for 7 to 8 minutes or until done. Then drain and let cool some before serving (you can see the steam rising off our serving in the picture above). Serve with cocktail sauce.

Old Bay Seasoning is an excellent blend of herbs and spices and has a natural affinity for seafood. Originally developed for use in the bars of Baltimore for seasoning the crabs they served, Old Bay Seasoning tastes great on many on seafoods. Our recipe today is Old Bay Seasoned Catfish Fillets and this one is about as simple as it gets. Yet it’s got a great flavor, both from the flavor of the fish, and from the excellent seasoning it receives.

To make this recipe, simply season both sides of catfish fillets with Old Bay Seasoning, and pan fry until lightly browned, turn, and cook the other side. We used frozen catfish fillets in the recipe pictured here, and cooked the fillets for about 10 minutes on low for the first side, and 7 minutes after turning. If the fillets are really thick and meaty, you could use a lid on the pan while cooking the catfish on the first side so they thaw on the top while the bottom is cooking, and then cook uncovered after turning. Make one fillet per serving, and serve with a tossed salad.

6 ounces dried penne pasta
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp white flour
2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) crab meat

Preheat oven to 500° F. Cook the penne pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a small non-stick sauce pan, add bread crumbs and stir to wet the crumbs with the butter. Add the Parmesan cheese, stir in well, and set aside. Melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter in a medium non-stick sauce pan. Add flour to make a roux, and cook, stirring until flour is bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring a little add a time, and blend in with the flour/butter roux. Keep heating and continuously stirring the milk mixture for 4 – 5 minutes over medium heat until milk begins to thicken. Add the Monterey Jack Cheese and Old Bay Seasoning and mix well. Gently fold in the crab meat. Fill two ramekins about 2/3 full of the cooked penne pasta, pour in enough of the cheese mixture to reach top of pasta, then stir to mix cheese well around the pasta. Pour more cheese sauce in to fill to top of ramekin. Repeat with second ramekin. Sprinkle tops of each ramekin with the Parmesan bread crumb mixture. Place the ramekins on a flat baking sheet and bake at 500° F about 6 to 9 minutes until cheese is bubbly and tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven, and let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

2 slices day old bread without crust
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 pound fresh lump crab meat, cartilage and shells removed

If you don’t have day old bread, use fresh bread and break bread into small pieces and moisten with milk. Add Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley flakes, baking powder, Old Bay Seasoning, egg, and salt and mix to blend seasonings. Add crab meat and carefully mix to keep the lumps of crab meat together. Shape into 4 to 6 crab cakes. Broil for reduced fat or fry until golden brown , then turn and cook until other side is golden brown.

What you need to make Old Bay Shrimp

Vinegar
Old Bay Seasoning
1 Pound Cleaned Shrimp
Hunger

In a 3 quart saucepan combine 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 tbsp McCormick Old Bay Seasoning. Bring to a boil, then add 1 pound deveined shrimp. Stir shrimp around until coated well with the Old Bay Seasoning Mixture. Cover pot and then reduce heat to simmer, and cook just until shrimp turn pink. Stir once more, then drain. Place shrimp on a serving dish. Serve immediately along with cocktail sauce.

Variant using Old Bay One Step
If you want an easier way to make this recipe (and. really now, this Old Bay Shrimp recipe isn’t hard) then consider Old Bay Seafood One-Step, which lets you simply add the seasoning to water, and then the shrimp. Simple and easy. Details of making Seafood One-Step are here.