Boardwalk Popcorn

Summer vibes activated. Old Bay. Popcorn. Repeat.

You can take the girl out of DC, but can’t take DC out of the girl.

When I was a kid, I would ride the Metro everywhere. It was my passport to the city, and my first taste of independence and freedom. I would do chores and save up my money so I could go to the mall with my friends. Sometimes I would have to meet up at a transfer point so we could all get on the yellow line together. Union Station was usually that place. The food court at Union Station was epic especially for a teenager that didn’t have a job. Cheap pizza slices, burgers, nachos, pasta salads, and of course french fries. There was a spot that stood out more than the rest. There was always a line. Boardwalk Fries was so captivating. It was my absolute favorite. You could smell it riding up the escalators from the station. Picture it: piping hot fries with the skin on, perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, unabashedly coated in Old Bay and served in a checkerboard deli paper lined cup. My favorite part was dousing them with malt vinegar as fast as I could. Hot damn.

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Fries are delicious, but the prep can be a hassle (not to mention your hair and house will smell like the mall with all that fry oil). Sometimes you need a snack now. The easiest snack for us in this house is popcorn.

If you’re like me and you want to have something fast, but don’t want to skimp on flavor— you’re really gonna like my Boardwalk Popcorn.

Boardwalk Popcorn

Servings: 4–6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil (for cooking and drizzling)

• White or yellow popcorn kernels (enough to cover the bottom of your pot in a single layer)

• Sea salt, to taste

• Nutritional yeast, to taste

• Old Bay Seasoning, to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat the oil
   In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Heat over medium until the oil is hot and shimmering.

2. Pop the kernels
   Add enough popcorn kernels to cover the bottom of the pot in a single layer. Partially cover the pot, allowing steam to escape. Periodically shake the pot to prevent burning.

3. Listen for the finish
   When popping slows to 1–2 seconds between pops, remove from heat.

4. Season
   Transfer the popcorn to a medium steel mixing bowl. While still hot, add a dash of sea salt, a generous drizzle of olive oil, nutritional yeast, and Old Bay Seasoning.

5. Shake to mix
   Place a larger steel mixing bowl (2–3 times bigger) over the smaller bowl, sandwiching them together. Holding both bowls firmly, flip them over and shake well. Flip back over, tap the larger bowl so the popcorn falls into the smaller one, then lift the larger bowl off.

6. Serve
   Serve immediately while warm and fragrant.

Hosting Tip: If you are serving a crowd or entertaining you can serve these in cute red and white striped bags to make it special. Pre-fill the bags and set them on a tray, or have a big bowl with a paper cup in the bowl and put the bags on the side. Open a few empty ones, and leave the rest folded on a tray next to the bowl. This will signify to your guests how to serve themselves, and once more people arrive and see guests walking around with cute bags of popcorn they will want one and ask where to find it.