Bobby Flay Can't Stress One Seasoning Tip Enough

Chef, TV personality, and restaurateur Bobby Flay has a simple seasoning tip that relies on a tried-and-true fundamental of Western cooking. He's an advocate for using salt and pepper as the building blocks of seasoning to help secure a strong foundation of flavor. Moreover, he firmly believes in seasoning both sides of a protein with salt and pepper when cooking.

The Brasserie B chef's tip is truly a golden standard for thoughtfully seasoning meats, fish, and other savory dishes. Seasoning proteins on both sides with salt and pepper at the start of the cooking process ensures they're tasty all the way through before even reaching the dinner table. This pairing can serve as a baseline for adding other seasonings, or as a powerful flavor duo on its own. Depending on the salt and pepper combo you use, the combo can also create a lovely crust on your protein. A great example is a steak, where a salt and pepper crust adds an instantly flavorful and textural element.

While salt brings out the natural flavors of food, pepper is its subtle companion, adding depth and a little kick of spice. This seasoning duo is used globally, although black pepper is sometimes exchanged for ground white pepper or different kinds of peppercorns. Depending on the recipe and your palate, you might consider using ground Sichuan peppercorns or pink peppercorns instead of black pepper. There are also many different types of salt, so keep that in mind when pairing with pepper.

A classic pepper steak could be taken to the next level with the depth of smoked salt or the umami richness of truffle salt. Similarly, grilled salt and pepper tuna could gain complexity with the addition of slightly sweet and nutty red Hawaiian salt, which tastes great with seafood.

Taiwanese salt and pepper chicken is a popular twist on popcorn chicken. Another dish, salt and pepper shrimp stir-fry, of course, relies on salt and pepper, but also incorporates the strong flavors of garlic, ginger, and chilies, which are staples in many Asian cuisines.