An extra ingredient often makes good things truly great, like chili in chocolate, balsamic glaze on ice cream, and Danny Devito in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." A thoughtful addition or two can also give basic salt a flavor-boosting superpower. That's why seasoned salt is so fabulous.
What is Salt Seasoning?
Seasoned salt is like regular salt in power-up mode. It blends basic table salt with herbs, spices, vegetable flours and even seeds. These extra seasonings build on plain salt's flavor to provide more complex and interesting tastes.
The added ingredients provide layers of aroma and flavor beyond just saltiness. They turn salt from a simple flavor enhancer into a flavor producer, adding a new dimension to foods like grilled meats, pasta, veggies, eggs and even popcorn. It's an easy way to quickly infuse extra flavor into dishes without much effort compared to making a full marinade or spice rub from scratch.
One reason we love seasoned salt is because you can seek out convenience with a pre-blended version from the store or be creative with your own homemade blends.
Common Ingredients in Seasoned Salt
Common herbs and spices used in seasoned salt blends include onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, basil, parsley and black pepper. We've also seen sea salt seasoned with rosemary and pepper. Delicious.
Vegetable flours made from celery, onion and bell peppers are also typical. Some blends incorporate citrus flavors like lemon or lime (perfect for the rim of a margarita).
There are all kinds of popular seasoned salt on the shelves. Australians have one of their own that is a national treasure, even though you won't often find it on shelves north of the equator: chicken salt. Real, authentic chicken salt contains dried, salted chicken. Seasoned salt aficionados use it to flavor everything from fries to bloody mary cocktails.
The History of Seasoned Salt
The first seasoned salt recipe in the U.S. came from LA over 80 years ago. In 1938 Lawrence Frank, the owner of the legendary Lawry's Prime Rib Restaurant in Beverly Hills, mixed salt, sugar, paprika, turmeric, onion, and garlic to make a seasoned salt product that was an instant hit.
Lawrey's Seasoned Salt quickly evolved into a retail product that is now a staple on kitchen shelves across America. McCormick loved this product so much that we bought the company, and Lawry's is now one of our most beloved brands. When you buy Lawry's Seasoned Salt for your family, you know you're getting the authentic original.
How to Use Seasoned Salt
Seasoned salt brings extra flavor to dishes that normally rely on regular salt, giving them an extra boost that will leave the family wondering what you added. That's why it's perfect for enhancing the taste of meats like beef and pork.
Something as simple as pork chops can gain new appeal with a little seasoned salt sprinkled on both sides. Check out our Peach Pork Chops recipe and taste it for yourself.
A little salt in your burger is perfectly fine, but seasoned salt is simply divine. This Lawry's Burger really pops with the rich spices that this quality seasoning has to offer.
While chicken salt is popular for poultry down under, most Americans use other kinds of flavoring to enhance the taste of chicken. For example, our Hickory Brown Sugar Marinade make these Smoky Chicken Wraps sing.
This Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken recipe doesn't actually use chicken from a rotisserie. Instead, seasoned salt drops such a delicious flavor-bomb on regular baked chicken thighs that you'd never tell the difference.
Seasoned salt is also great on vegetables. Our Seasoned Corn recipe combines it with the other best ingredient on the planet — butter — to create buttered cobs packed with extra flavor.
If you don't yet have seasoned salt on your shelf, now is the time. Go get some and use it on everything from fries to guacamole. Season your salads and egg dishes with it. Try it out as a brining ingredient if you're feeling creative. It's the little ingredient that could.
Other seasoned salt recipes
Got a taste for more seasoned salt recipes? There are plenty to choose from. Here are three of our favorites:
