Spice wars
When it comes to steamed crabs, local eateries prefer lesser-known seasonings
To Marylanders, Old Bay is more than a seasoning: It’s a symbol of state pride. The yellow and blue tin with a red lid is tattooed on calves or placed in window sills along with a crab and decorative mallets.
A T-shirt proclaims: “I put Old Bay on my Old Bay.”
83% of the state’s residents reported a favorable opinion of Old Bay, according to The Goucher Poll, a political survey of 808 adults.
Yet the seasoning’s popularity belies a little-known truth: cooks in restaurants and crab shacks rarely use Old Bay to steam crabs.
The Baltimore Sun called dozens of crab houses in the region, and the majority — 18 out of 30 — said they steam crabs with either J.O. No. 2 seasoning or a custom blend made by the Halethorpe-based spice company. Six said they use blends from Harbor Spice, a company head-
A T-shirt proclaims: “I put Old Bay on my Old Bay.”
83% of the state’s residents reported a favorable opinion of Old Bay, according to The Goucher Poll, a political survey of 808 adults.
Yet the seasoning’s popularity belies a little-known truth: cooks in restaurants and crab shacks rarely use Old Bay to steam crabs.
The Baltimore Sun called dozens of crab houses in the region, and the majority — 18 out of 30 — said they steam crabs with either J.O. No. 2 seasoning or a custom blend made by the Halethorpe-based spice company. Six said they use blends from Harbor Spice, a company head-
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