Grilling, sautéing, or poaching a filet of fresh fish is great and all, but nothing truly tops a piece of golden battered deep-fried fish. It’s a dish that’s found around the world, although nothing beats a traditional American fish fry. Whether you live close to the ocean with easy access to cod, halibut, and striped bass, or you grew up in the Midwest feasting on perch, walleye, and bluegill, a big fried fish dinner is a beloved family tradition. While a lot of attention has been paid to properly battering the fish so that it doesn’t fall apart, don’t let that distract you from proper seasoning. Salt and pepper are essential, of course, but your fried dinner could be a whole lot better if you use some Old Bay seasoning.
Old Bay is a classic seafood flavoring blend made with 18 different spices, which was originally developed in 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland by Gustav Brunn, owner of the Baltimore Spice Company. Maryland is widely known for its coveted blue crabs with unique flavor, and the proprietary blend of celery salt, red and black pepper, paprika, and others has been a point of state pride practically since the first tins were sold (the exact recipe still remains confidential). While it is most often used with shellfish like crabs, shrimp, and lobster, Old Bay also does an excellent job seasoning all kinds of finfish, especially those used for fish fries.
Season the fish and the batter
Plain deep-fried fish is delicious, of course, but without a little spice it can also taste a little one note. If you don’t want your family drowning all the hard work you did to batter and fry expensive fish filets in tartar sauce, let Old Bay come to the rescue. The key to success here is to layer the flavor into each step of the fish fry. First, season the plain fish with salt, pepper, and a few shakes of the seasoning mix so that the flavor can adhere to the meat itself. Next, add a teaspoon or two of the Old Bay to any flour used for dredging or right into the beer batter mix. This will keep the flavor from getting lost under the batter during the deep frying.
If you really love the taste of Old Bay, it’s also not a bad idea to mix a bit into the salt and pepper you’d use to sprinkle on the fish right as it comes out of the frying oil. If you’re planning to use the seasoning in all three steps, however, remember not to go overboard at any of these stages so that you don’t overpower the fish with seasoning. Although if you ask any Marylander, there’s never too much Old Bay on anything.
