History

Old Bay seasoning was invented in 1939 in Baltimore by Gustav Brunn, a German Jewish refugee, who developed the blend for the Chesapeake crab boil trade. The mix of celery salt, paprika, mustard, bay leaf, cloves and red pepper became inseparable from Baltimore cooking. Old Bay fries are a Baltimore bar-snack staple, the cheap-and-essential side at every crab house and corner pub in the city.

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg russet potatoes (Idaho or large-baking potatoes), peeled or skin-on
  • 1.5L peanut oil or sunflower oil for frying
  • 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning (or substitute: 2 tbsp celery salt, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp mustard powder, 1/2 tsp ground bay, pinch each of ground cloves and cayenne)
  • 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
  • Malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar on the side
  • Honey mustard or Old Bay aioli to dip (4 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp Old Bay, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 garlic clove minced)

Method

  1. Cut the potatoes into 1cm thick batons. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes to remove excess starch.
  2. Drain thoroughly and pat the fries completely dry with a clean cloth.
  3. Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot to 150C.
  4. Fry the potatoes in batches at 150C for 5 to 7 minutes until they are soft but still pale; this is the par-cook stage. Lift onto paper towels and cool 10 minutes.
  5. Raise the oil temperature to 190C.
  6. Fry the par-cooked potatoes in batches at 190C for 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden and shatteringly crisp.
  7. Lift to a heatproof bowl. Immediately shower with the Old Bay seasoning and a pinch of flaky salt. Toss to coat.
  8. Plate piled high with the aioli and a small jar of malt vinegar on the side.

Tip from the editors. The two-fry method is the only way to get the canonical Baltimore fry. Skip the soak and the fries are pale and mealy. Old Bay should coat aggressively.

Where to eat old bay fries

Old Bay fries in Baltimore

Chaps Pit Beef ★ 4.3

New American$greektownMon-Sun 10:30-22:00

Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway delivers a hefty, cheap pit beef sandwich, charcoal-grilled rare top round on a kaiser with tiger sauce and onion.

Try: Pit beef sandwich

Tip: A pit beef sandwich is a meal on its own; order it rare with tiger sauce.

720 Mapleton Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205

Mama's on the Half Shell ★ 4.2

Seafood$$$cantonMon-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri 11:00-23:00, Sat 09:00-23:00, Sun 09:00-22:00

Mama's on the Half Shell on Canton Square is a neighbourhood crab-and-oyster house, working steamed crabs, oysters and a crab cake across two busy floors.

Signature: Steamed crabs, Oysters, Crab cake

Order: A dozen steamed crabs in season, or the crab cake the rest of the year.

Tip: Weekend afternoons overflow with locals; ask for a seat upstairs or out on the patio.

2901 O'Donnell Street, Baltimore, MD 21224

LP Steamers ★ 4.4

Seafood$$$locust-pointMon-Sun 11:00-21:00

LP Steamers in Locust Point is a classic two-storey crab house, steaming blue crabs heavy with Old Bay and serving a rooftop deck above Fort Avenue.

Signature: Steamed blue crabs, Crab cake, Old Bay shrimp

Order: A dozen heavy steamed crabs and a pitcher, eaten with mallets on the deck.

Tip: The rooftop deck is the seat to ask for; bring cash and patience in peak crab season.

1100 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230

Faidley's Seafood ★ 4.7

Street food$downtownMon-Sat daytime, closed Sunday

Faidley's stand inside Lexington Market serves the city's benchmark crab cake since 1886, almost all jumbo lump, eaten standing at a counter off brown paper.

Try: Jumbo lump crab cake

Tip: Order the all-lump grade and eat it at the stand-up rail; it also fries a classic lake trout.

119 North Paca Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

More cities are in research. Want old bay fries covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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