Adding a sprinkle of this homemade seafood seasoning blend is a shortcut to making a bold and flavorful fish dinner, even when you’re low on time.
While many popular seafood seasoning blends, like Old Bay, focus on spices and celery salt, I prefer a more herbal, salt-free mix. Herbs like dill, oregano, and thyme have accentuated Mediterranean seafood recipes for centuries. Warm paprika, cumin, and coriander ground the blend with earthiness without taking over.
This spice blend is particularly well-suited for fish and seafood because it combines herbs and spices that complement the delicate, often slightly sweet and briny flavors of fish without overwhelming them. Its balance of warm spice and herbal freshness works well for both richer salmon filets and trout, but won’t obscure the flavor of more delicate white fish like sea bass.
Plus, homemade seafood seasoning couldn’t be easier to make. Simply add all of the herbs and spices to a mixing bowl, whisk together, and transfer to a glass jar to store. This seafood seasoning recipe makes 1/2 cup and, when stored properly, you can use it to flavor your favorite fish and seafood meals for months.
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What’s in Seafood Seasoning?
This seafood seasoning blend combines fragrant and easy-to-find spices and dried herbs I use most often to flavor Mediterranean fish dishes. They combine into an aromatic, balanced, and herb-forward blend perfect for fish and seafood. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Sweet paprika is made from grinding sweet dried red chilies. It’s not spicy and adds a savory, fruity aroma and a vibrant red-orange hue to this seafood seasoning recipe. For a deeper, smokier flavor, you can use smoked paprika.
- Dried dill: Dill is a classic herb for fish—like in this baked halibut recipe—with a tangy, grassy flavor and a hint of anise. Using dried dill adds the flavor but keeps it shelf-stable.
- Ground coriander adds a warm, citrusy flavor that brightens and enhances seafood.
- Ground cumin has a strong, warm, and nutty flavor that grounds the flavor of the blend without overpowering it.
- Dried oregano adds a zesty citrusy flavor. You can use either Greek oregano, common oregano, or Italian oregano in this recipe.
- Dried thyme is earthy, woodsy, and floral.
- Dried tarragon has a delicate licorice flavor that pairs particularly well with seafood.
- Ground black pepper: In addition to adding a little heat, black pepper has a pine and citrus flavor.
How to Make Seafood Seasoning
Homemade spice blends are an underrated shortcut, especially because they are so easy to make. Compared to pre-made spice mixes, you can customize the blend to your taste and save money by buying spices in bulk. While you could just add all the spices into a jar and shake them to combine, I prefer mixing them in a bowl first to prevent clumps or uneven mixing.
- Combine the herbs and spices. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sweet paprika, dried dill, ground coriander, ground cumin, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried tarragon, and ground black pepper.
- Mix and store. Use a small whisk or fork to combine. Make sure to break up any clumps and mix until the herbs and spices are evenly distributed. Transfer the fish seasoning blend to a jar and tightly close the lid.
Make It Your Own
This seasoning is a versatile blend for fish, but you can easily customize it based on your favorite flavors and how you prefer to cook. Here are some easy swaps and substitutions to make this fish seasoning your own:
- Add some heat: Substitute some of the paprika with other chilies to push up the Scoville scale. You can try anything from mild Aleppo pepper to medium urfa biber to spicier red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Swap the herbs: Try adding or substituting dried mint, dried marjoram, dried sage, or dried crushed rosemary.
- Add salt: Most store-bought seasoning blends include salt. You can mix salt into this blend to make a one-and-done seasoning blend. Start with 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal, 2 teaspoons Morton, 2 teaspoons sea salt, or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt and adjust the amount to suit your tastes.
- Spices: Add warm complexity with ground ginger, garlic powder, cardamom, or allspice. These spices have a strong flavor, so start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste.
How to Use this Seafood Seasoning Recipe
This flavorful spice blend is versatile and can season all kinds of fish and seafood, and it’s just as tasty on other ingredients, too. Here are some ideas for how to use it:
- Fish: Sprinkle the mix on any fish fillets you like. This includes both white fish, like cod and haddock, and oily fish, like salmon. Use about 1 to 2 teaspoons per pound of fish, or sprinkle it to taste. Use it for grilling salmon or baking cod. In this baked fish recipe, replace the oregano, coriander, and paprika with 1 tablespoon of seafood seasoning.
- Shellfish: This seasoning is excellent on shrimp and scallops. In this sheet pan shrimp recipe, replace the paprika, oregano, coriander, and cumin with 1 tablespoon of fish seasoning. Or use it for searing or sautéeing scallops.
- Vegetables: I love to add this spice blend to vegetables before roasting them. Because of the dill, it pairs particularly well with carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, or potatoes. Add 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of seafood seasoning to flavor these simple roasted carrots, or try it on roasted vegetables or crispy smashed potatoes.
- Meat: This blend is not just for seafood; the herbs and spices in it make delicious chicken and pork. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons instead of the Italian seasoning on this roasted chicken.
How to Store Seafood Seasoning
Store the spice mix in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. The blend makes about 1/2 cup, so choose a jar large enough, about 4 to 5 ounces, or divide it into two spice jars. Store it out of bright light and away from heat. A kitchen cupboard not directly next to the oven or stove is ideal.
Stored properly, this homemade seafood seasoning blend will keep its flavor for up to 6 months.
You’ll know it’s time to mix up a new batch of the spice blend when the vibrant red and green of the paprika and dried dill are fading, a sign of the diminishing flavor. Instead of a burst of herbal and spicy fragrance when opening the jar, an older jar will have more muted aromas.
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Seafood Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dill weed
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Greek oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the herbs and spices. In a small mixing bowl, combine the sweet paprika, dried dill, ground coriander, ground cumin, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried tarragon, and ground black pepper.
- Mix and store. Use a small whisk or fork to combine. Make sure to break up any clumps and mix until the herbs and spices are evenly distributed.Transfer the fish seasoning blend to a jar and tightly close the lid.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the spices used in this recipe.
- While you could just add all the spices into a jar and shake them to combine, I prefer mixing them in a bowl first to prevent clumps or uneven mixing.
- How to Store: Store the spice mix in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. The blend makes about 1/2 cup, so choose a jar large enough, about 4 to 5 ounces. Store it out of bright light and away from heat. A kitchen cupboard not directly next to the oven or stove is ideal.
- When to Replace: Stored properly, this homemade fish seasoning blend will keep its flavor for up to six months. You’ll know it’s time to mix up a new batch of the spice blend when the vibrant aroma and the red and green of the paprika and dried dill are fading, a sign of the diminishing flavor.
- Nutrition information is per teaspoon of the spice blend.
Nutrition
Try Our Greek Oregano!
This dried herb straight from Greece is lemony, fragrant, and perfect for everyday use.
