Take Seafood Inspiration For Your Mashed Potatoes And Add A Few Shakes Of This Seasoning

Potatoes can act as a blank canvas in the kitchen. Their starchy interiors can be transformed in so many ways, and one of the best examples of this is creamy mashed potatoes, which can serve as the perfect base for add-ins. You can even give them a seafood-inspired twist with one beloved spice mix: Old Bay seasoning.

Old Bay seasoning, an East Coast staple, is typically used to enhance festive seafood boils, crab cakes, and other fish dishes. The aromatic blend brings out the natural sweetness in shellfish without overwhelming its delicate flavor. It also adds a warm, slightly earthy finish, thanks to a mix of 18 different herbs and spices that works particularly well not just with seafood, but also with potatoes. More specifically, the paprika adds a subtle smokiness, while the celery salt cuts through the starch. All of the savory and sweet flavors work together to create a much more complex dish, making Old Bay one of the top seasonings you should be adding to mashed potatoes.

A little Old Bay seasoning goes a long way; you should only need a teaspoon to flavor 1 pound of potatoes. All you have to do is sprinkle the seasoning in with your usual mix-ins after the potatoes are mashed, like butter, milk, and cheese. The blend already contains salt, so be careful not to overdo it, especially if you're using salted butter. Taste the mash before adding any additional salt.

For even more flavor, try adding some of the seasoning to the water when you're boiling the potatoes to further enhance the flavor. You can add minced garlic to the water too for an extra punch. The potatoes should go well with a range of dishes, but they will especially complement seafood or meat entrées Try them with buttery lobster tails or a surf-and-turf combo.

You can also transform any leftovers into some delicious potato cakes or fish cakes. There are a lot of other unexpected ways to use Old Bay seasoning that are worth trying, too. And if you don't have any on hand, try out this homemade Old Bay seasoning recipe.