Salt-Free Seafood Seasoning

September. The light changes in Houston this time of year — still hot, still bright, but the angle shifts and the evenings come earlier and there's a feeling in the air that the worst of the summer is behind you. I notice these things. I didn't used to. When I was drinking, seasons passed without distinction. Sobriety gave me my eyes back, along with everything else.

Made a few calls for Kevin this week. I reached out to three kitchen owners I know — people I've sold equipment to over the years who I trust. A bakery in the Heights, a Vietnamese restaurant on Bellaire, and a catering company in Katy. All three said they'd interview him. The bakery was the most promising — morning hours, no alcohol anywhere near the premises, the owner is a woman named Sarah who runs a tight operation and doesn't tolerate drama. I gave Kevin the contacts Thursday. He thanked me in the specific way that men thank each other when they're trying not to show how much it means: brief, understated, and immediately followed by a change of subject.

Emma called Friday with early pregnancy concerns — not that she's pregnant, but that she's not pregnant yet, and she and Daniel have been trying for two months and she's already worrying. I told her two months is nothing. I told her Christine and I took six months with Tyler. I told her to relax, which is the most useless thing you can say to a woman trying to conceive and also the most true. She said, "You're not helpful." I said, "I know. I'm your father. Helpful was never in the job description."

Saturday at Mai's. She made canh bí đao — winter melon soup — which is one of those dishes that sounds boring and is actually sublime. Winter melon simmered in a pork bone broth with shrimp, scallions, and a whisper of fish sauce. The melon absorbs the broth and becomes translucent and silky, almost custard-like. It's the kind of soup that doesn't impress on description but stops you cold when you taste it. Mai's version is the best I've had because Mai's version of everything is the best I've had. I am not objective about this and I don't intend to start.

Helped her with some things around the house — the bathroom faucet was dripping, a lightbulb in the hallway was out, the screen door hinge needed oil. Small repairs. The kind of things Huy would have done. I do them now. It's one of the ways his absence is measured: in dripping faucets that someone else has to fix.

I drove home from Mai’s that Saturday with the taste of that soup still on me — the way the broth was clean and deep at the same time, the shrimp carrying their sweetness without the salt drowning everything out. I’ve been trying to cook more intentionally since I got sober, and part of that is understanding what actually makes food taste like something, rather than just masking it. This salt-free seafood seasoning blend is what I put together that week, working backward from what I remembered sitting at her table — a way to bring those quiet, precise flavors into my own kitchen without leaning on sodium as a shortcut.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: About 24 (1/2 teaspoon per serving)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon dried mustard powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg

Instructions

Combine dry ingredients. Measure all spices into a small bowl. Whisk together thoroughly until the mixture is uniform in color and no streaks of individual spices remain.
Taste and adjust. Pinch a small amount between your fingers and taste. Add more cayenne if you want heat, more garlic powder for depth, or more celery seed for a brighter, more herbal finish.
Transfer and store. Spoon the finished blend into a small airtight jar or spice container. Label with the date. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Use it. Rub onto shrimp, fish fillets, or scallops before searing or grilling. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to a light broth or seafood soup base to build background flavor without salt. Works well stirred into butter for a finishing sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Salt-Free Seafood Seasoning — The Flavors That Linger After Mai's Table