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Sunday, June 3, 2012

Old Bay Seasoning

Hello again, 

I would like to share some homemade condiments I have whipped up in the last couple of weeks. First,  is this version old bay seasoning, which is not available on this side of the Atlantic. 

Usually this type of seasoning would be made out of dried and ground ingredients only, but I thought why not substitute some ingredients for their fresh counterparts. Especially with ginger I so much prefer to leave the ground verity in the cabinet. This method makes a slightly moist seasoning, so dont make too much and keep it in the fridge to use up within a month or so. 

I used this seasoning together with some red chili paste I had made earlier with lemon slices to marinade a kilo of shrimp and prepared them in the shell, "papillote' style in the oven. They were spicy and heavenly. 




The method is simple: 
Combine all ingredients in a small processor and grind until a paste forms. I noticed the mustard grains were still mostly whole, so I used the mortar to crush an additional amount. 

Ingredients: 
8 bay leaves
2 teaspoons celery salt
1-1/2 teaspoons whole mustard seed
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cm peeled fresh ginger cut into slices
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
+/- 15 whole cloves
+/- 15 whole allspice berries