I have been sniffing back and forth like a loony-toon. I think I'm missing sweet and smoked paprika and more celery seed....

Roasting some Mexican sweet whole chilis. Thinking more celery seed that seems pronounced in the mix....enough hot spice is fine existing. Should not be so complicated to duplicate. Fun challenge being covid second Pfizer vaccine home for the day...(paid sick leave no mater the symptoms)

Play-by-play. Nope not even close, or any closer. What the heck is it?. Fine...i'l hide the OldBay tBsp left in the container for the crab cakes and use mine for the shrimp/crab boil party....parent visit in just a few weeks. First visit in 18+ months.

Found this recipe that has good reviews:

https://leitesculinaria.com/81715/recipes-homemade-old-bay-seasoning-mix.html#recipe

And this one:

https://www.daringgourmet.com/old-bay-seasoning/#wprm-recipe-container-59954

Thank you cindy. I have found similar. No way could I re-produce what I've done so far. Not at all frustrated at this point....when a tried and true home town eastern shore spice...like scrapple., OldBay, I just purchase the product being spot-on. What I need for a classic dish is so easy with the classics....short supply right now like tp last year.

I'm close but not what I expected. I thought I could nail it with so much spice in my cabinet...

Can you order it? A quick amazon search yielded many kinds of old bay....

McCormick have said that there are 18 herbs and spices in Old Bay. They may be blowing smoke. I've noticed that the copycat recipes have fewer ingredients and the only herb in the ones I've seen is bay leaf, and I think that may just be because of the name, which refers, apparently, to a boat company, The Old Bay Line, rather than the bay itself.

Something that some of the copycats have, which from memory sounds right to me is mace. I don't have any currently--I so much want to smell it!

I think you're right about the celery seed and paprika. Anything that there's enough of to go on the ingredients list should be there in abundance. And you may not have enough salt. I know you don't want the full on one, but it's way easy to put less salt in a mix like this than it actually needs to excite the taste buds.

Thinking of herbs, do you think it might be something as simple as onion powder?

The odd shortages are bothering me, here it's cane sugar (I can get all the GMO based beet sugar I want), Worchestershire sauce and canned cat food!

Good luck on that mix, mine are never the same, but I usually like them better. And I didn't even know there was a lower-sodium version of Old Bay, which I assumed was named after the water!

Annie

I mentioned in my opening post, 'I have one tBsp of 'no' salt OldBay left in a container...I have been buying the 'no salt added' for years.

I read about the shortage in the NYTimes.

Interesting to read the recipe was sold to Mccormick in 1990. I would have thought much earlier than that.

Just picked up a tiny bag of cane sugar at the pharmacy where I got my second Pfizer vaccine. Need it for the hummingbird feeders. Raw and other sugars have too much iron that will kill them.

I think it is celery seed, cardamon, maybe mace...or clove? smelling something sweet.

Penzey's has their own version. Gives the ingredients so that may help.

https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/chesapeake-bay-seasoning/c-24/p-363/pd-s

^That's interesting....caraway.

I ground half a star anise and a few cloves with more celery seed this morning. I have thyme and summer savory in my original mix. Maybe more nutmeg.

I took about 20 on-line recipes looking for clues. I'm soo close now. Just need to check the freezer for paprika. I do have sumac.

I'll make a fry sauce tonight, add some salt and tomato powder, and see how I did. I have about 3 cups now. Plenty for a few crab/shrimp boils.

Surprised I don't have mace.

Well they're not giving it away but it's there and at least it's prime

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ54NRU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_4N71YGTJ4DMVTE5N273R

I use the salty version. I take it you're not having any trouble finding that?

I'm liking the one I just made. Without salt. The full salt commercial has about 640mg of salt in just one tsp. That much salt burns my tongue. In a steamed crab boil you add the OldBay, lots of it, on each layer of crabs. It gets all over your hands while picking and kills the sweet crab flavor.

The new plastic containers have a bum lid that breaks or does not stay shut. I can't believe I just found one of the old metal tins downstairs.

They still use the metal tins in larger sizes at a great price. (full salt)

Yea for making one you like! So, was there a secret ingredient? Or just the balance needed tweaking?

Just sat down to add the recipe. After looking what I have in the freezer. I've not ordered spices in well over a year. Just ordered ButcherPacker and MountainRoseHerb. BP for bulk and best prices, and MRH for the exotics.

February 2020 I was packing for a long road trip, then lock-down. Made a bunch of spice blends for the trip and the Spring/Summer but went through so much of my bulk stash. I could cobble together a BBQ dry rub if needed but would rather have what I like.

Allspice, clove, and star anise are key. Not much but when I added to a 1/4 cup of my original bulk it hit the notes. (ordered fresh allspice).

I did highlight what isn't really necessary but the Korean chili flake does do a nice job replacing cayenne since I have a mild one and a medium spiced. Also covers the lack of paprika, and using the sweet smoky notes the ancho brings to the party.

Celery seed has some natural sodium but only about 10mg in a tBsp. I have some lemon peel powder I use instead of salt sometimes. Might be nice.

(mesquite and sumac not important but I have so much as well as green peppercorns). Ordered smoked paprika.

Hoping we like it better than the original. Fingers crossed we get some crabs. daily limit is a bushel.

I'm toasting and grinding whole spice so obviously the freshness will be much better. Kitchen is in disarray since deciding to make a big batch of 'umami bomb'...while at it. ...and a BBQ dry rub for the weekend,... smoked pork. Crazy early 75º here. Small batch until new bulk spices delivered. I should be good for another year or more in the whole spice stock category. I only make about 6 spice blends but do big batch and keep in the freezer. Trying something new I make a small batch.

A whole pound of celery seed is under 5 bucks at ButcherPacker. Why I buy bulk whole seed.

Interesting mission you are on. I would not have guessed ginger but it does lend a different dimension of peppery.

have you tried:

I like the real stuff but found I do like/appreciate this one.

I like the addition of nutmeg idea.

Ingredients

5 teaspoons Ground Celery Seed
5 teaspoons Ground Mustard Seed
1.5 Tablespoons Ground Bay Leaves
4 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1.5 teaspoons [I like smoked] Paprika
3/4 teaspoon Allspice
3/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper

3/8 teaspoons Ground Cardamom
3/8 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

here are two others

INGREDIENTS

Homemade Old Bay Seasoning Recipe Ingredients [from epicurious]

1 tablespoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground dry mustard
1 pinch ground mace (may substitute a teensy pinch nutmeg)

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cardamom

1 pinch ground allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground ginger

Old Bay Seasoning (Copycat) From FOOD.COM

Yield: 0.5 cup
2 tablespoons bay leaf powder
2 tablespoons celery salt (or 1 tbls. ground celery seed and 1 tbls. salt)

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons sweet paprika (smoked paprika is even better if you can find it!)

1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION

Combine thoroughly and store in sealed container

No, I've not tried any recipe I found in a search. I used a couple dozen as a jumping off point...

I started with a quarter cup each of celery seed, mustard powder, Korean chili flake and coriander...2 tBsp peppercorn, etc..no tiny pinch of this and that....

I'll add a 1/4 cup paprika when delivered. I should have about 4 cups without the 2 cups added salt like the original.

@sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA) my local Walmart shows that they have the 30% reduced sodium Old Bay Seasoning (2 oz/$2.74). If you would like some, let me know and I’ll be happy to ship it to you (if they actually have it when I get to the store). Of course, you may be so pleased with your own version that you no longer want or need the commercially produced version.

Went ahead and started another batch. Had it again on popcorn last night and love it. I'm not at all salt sensitive but don't need it. Like commercial sausage and so much product is overly salted. I've never been an OldBay obsessive even growing up with it...it has its place in certain things. Do like the scent/flavor profile without the 'salt lick' ...DH grew up in the PacificNWest and has never been an OldBay fan....he likes this one so win-win.