The unmistakable flavor of Old Bay seasoning is the key ingredient in many seafood dishes north, south and west of the Chesapeake Bay, particularly anything to do with crab and crayfish.
But phooey for me, I’m allergic to a few ingredients in this classic blend. So I came up with my own version.
The first dish I made with it was these New Bay sweet potato fries. It was a very good choice. Don’t expect these fries to get super crispy — sweet potato fries have a hard time doing that, especially in the oven. But what they lack in crispness they make up for in soulful flavor and warm color.
Don’t worry about perfect potato sticks. You’re not entering a French fry-making contest. The easiest way to get nice long fries, however, is to peel the potatoes, cut them lengthwise into 1/4-inch slabs, and then stack those up a few at a time and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick sticks.
I keep empty dried herb and spice jars to store various blends and rubs that I make. Just use a jar that contained one of the seasonings you are including in your blend, and make sure to label the jar.
Then get ready to have some fun with your New Bay seasoning (and you’ll have some left to play with after you make the fries).
Some uses for this blend are:
SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH NEW BAY SEASONING
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 35 minutes
2 tablespoons celery salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks about 1/4-inch wide in each direction
2 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil
Nutrition information per serving: 96 calories; 41 calories from fat; 5 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 602 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 1 g protein.
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