Name: Crab Boil Seasoning
Ingredients: 3 bay leaves; a small piece of dried ginger; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon dill seeds; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds; 1 teaspoon whole cloves; 1 teaspoon whole allspice

Why it works: Clove and allspice match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Crab Boil Seasoning

Ingredients

Directions

Tie the spices in a muslin bag or in cheesecloth.
Add to the cooking liquid for crab and other seafood.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

29Calories

1 gProtein

1 gFat

6 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 9 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Clove	1 tsp ground (2g)	7
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Allspice	1 tsp ground (1.9g)	5
Dill Seed	5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried	4
Mustard	1 tsp (5g) yellow	3
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2
Seed	not in our table	0
Coriander	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together7,874 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together6,038 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,620 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ginger + coriandertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,505 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Mustard + dilltop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together560 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Bay leaves: Adds a savory, herbal aroma to the cooking liquid.
Black peppercorns: Release a sharp, pungent heat into the cooking liquid.
Mustard seeds: Add a sharp, pungent flavor that deepens as they steep.
Coriander seeds: Add a citrusy, floral aroma to the cooking liquid.
Whole cloves: Contribute a warm, strong aroma to the cooking liquid.
Whole allspice: Adds warm, sweet-spiced aroma to the cooking liquid.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ginger, dill, coriander, clove, allspice):

Carrotfits better
Parsnipfits about as well
Mustardthe original
Shallotfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against ginger, dill, coriander, clove, allspice. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.