Wild blue Gulf or Atlantic shrimp boiled in Old Bay seasoning and served chilled with cocktail sauce, a beer-and-newspaper plate at every DC seafood counter.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Old Bay seasoning was developed by Gustav Brunn, a German-Jewish refugee who arrived in Baltimore in 1939 with little more than a hand-cranked spice grinder. He started the Baltimore Spice Company in a Light Street basement; Old Bay (named for the Old Bay Line steamship that ran the Chesapeake) launched the same year. The blend of celery salt, paprika, mustard, bay leaves, black pepper and red pepper became the regional seasoning for steamed crabs, but in DC kitchens it travelled to shrimp boils, fries and cocktails. Wild blue Gulf and Atlantic shrimp boiled in Old Bay, then chilled, are a beer-and-newspaper plate at Hank's Oyster Bar, BlackSalt, The Salt Line and every casual Chesapeake-leaning room. McCormick acquired Old Bay in 1990; the recipe is unchanged.
Common allergens: Shellfish
Tip from the editors. The shrimp keep cooking after you drain them; pull them at the 90-second mark if they look just barely curled, not opaque all the way through.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
The Salt Line in Washington DC is the Navy Yard New England-style seafood room overlooking Diamond Teague Park, with Connecticut-style lobster rolls and a 30-oyster raw bar selection.
Signature: Lobster roll, Oysters by the dozen
Order: The hot Connecticut-style lobster roll on a butter-toasted bun; the menu favourite since opening.
Tip: Patio runs from April to October and faces the Anacostia; book a sunset slot and walk to a Nationals game after.
Maine Avenue Fish Market in Washington DC is the Southwest Waterfront open-air seafood market on Maine Avenue, the oldest continuously-operating open-air fish market in the United States.
Try: Boiled blue crabs and shrimp by the pound
Tip: Pre-cooked seafood is sold by the pound; carry the brown bag to a Wharf bench for a $30 lunch for two.
More cities are in research. Want old bay shrimp covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.