It’s Thursday again, which means it’s time for Popcorn Thursday! I’m having a lot of fun coming up with different ways to snazz-up popcorn. This week, I’m paying a little tribute to one of my favorite food memories as a kiddo.

I grew up in Virginia, not too far from the water. There was always a place to get good seafood, especially crab. My parents’ favorite place was a little hut right on the water that sold fresh caught fish and these little crab cakes in foil tins. When they’d go get fish or crabs, Mom would buy a couple crab cakes and we’d eat them on the way back home. I don’t know what was in those crab cakes, but the memory of their flavor is still the best tasting one I’d ever had. No fillers, not a lot of egg to bind it, just crab and old bay flavor coming through.

I think that’s why I like Old Bay seasoning to this day. It reminds me of those crab cakes. It reminds me of my Mom and Aunt Nelly standing in the kitchen, dropping crabs into a huge pot. It reminds me of special occasions when we went to Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner. It also reminds me of eating Utz’ Salt and Vinegar chips mixed with their Old Bay seasoned chips. That’s why I put it on popcorn this week. In that first bite, I was that little girl with ashy knees, a pink heart tee shirt, pink converse and ponytails again. And I was home. 

  
Old Bay Popcorn 

9 cups Popcorn, popped

3 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more for sprinkling 

1 teaspoon Lemon Zest 

Salt and Black Pepper, to taste

Place the butter in a microwave safe dish. Melt. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning.

Drizzle seasoned butter over popcorn and sprinkle with lemon zest and extra Old Bay seasoning. Toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Happy Popcorn Thursday!