What Is Old Bay? The Story Behind Maryland's Iconic Seasoning
Crack open a tin of Old Bay and you've basically opened a jar of the Chesapeake itself. That yellow-and-blue can is on every crab table, every steamer pot, and — increasingly — every snack in Maryland. But where did it come from, what's actually in it, and why does it taste so much like home? Here's the story.
A Baltimore immigrant's invention
Old Bay was created by Gustav Brunn, a German-Jewish immigrant who fled Nazi Germany and settled in Baltimore in 1938 with little more than a small spice grinder. In 1939 he founded the Baltimore Spice Company and began producing a blend he first called "Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning." He set up shop near the Baltimore wholesale fish market — right where the watermen and seafood sellers were — and the blend caught on fast among people who knew their crabs.
Where the name comes from
The "Old Bay" name wasn't about the seasoning at all — it came from the Old Bay Line, a steamship line that carried passengers and freight between Baltimore and Norfolk, Virginia. Naming a Chesapeake seasoning after a beloved Chesapeake steamer was a perfect fit, and the name stuck. The brand's rights were eventually purchased by Maryland spice giant McCormick & Company in 1990, which still makes it today.
What's actually in the tin
Old Bay is famously a blend of 18 herbs and spices. The label leads with celery salt (salt and celery seed), along with red pepper, black pepper, and paprika; other spices historically associated with the blend include bay leaves, mustard, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. The exact proportions are a closely guarded secret — which is part of why no homemade copycat ever tastes quite the same.
Old Bay on (almost) everything
Steamed blue crabs and shrimp are the classic home for Old Bay, but locals put it on far more than seafood. A few favorites to try at the house:
- Corn on the cob — buttered and dusted, it's a crab-feast staple.
- French fries and potato chips — the original Maryland snack upgrade.
- Popcorn — shake some on for movie night at the rental.
- Eggs, deviled or scrambled — a little goes a long way at breakfast.
- The rim of a Bloody Mary — a proper Chesapeake brunch move.
Bring the Old Bay, we'll bring the Bay
The Bayside Escape sleeps 24 on the Chesapeake Bay in Fishing Creek, MD — a full kitchen and a big outdoor table made for a crab feast. Create a free account and get $100 toward your first direct booking.
Make it part of your trip
Pick up a tin in Cambridge on your way in (you'll find it everywhere on the Eastern Shore) and you've got the seasoning for the whole week — a crab feast the first night, Old Bay corn and fries with dinner, and a shaker on the counter for whatever else you cook. It's a small, delicious way to taste the place you're staying. And if you're new to picking crabs, our step-by-step guide will get you up to speed before the steamer pot comes off the stove.