Always popular at parties, Shrimp Dip can be made up quickly and easily. It’s delicious spread on crackers or served with raw vegetables.
Believe it or not, this is a retro recipe. My grandmother and great aunt used to make this dip, which is interesting because shrimp wasn’t readily available when we were kids, nor was it cheap. I believe they often made it with canned shrimp. Now that frozen cooked shrimp is readily available and not too expensive, it’s the best choice for Shrimp Dip.
Take your cream cheese and lemon out of the fridge so they’re at room temperature when you’re ready to mix everything together. Did you know a lemon will give you more juice at room temperature? And if you roll it around before squeezing it helps to release the most juice. You can substitute about 2 Tbsp prepared lemon juice if you don’t have a real lemon.
I like to use a combination of Miracle Whip and real mayonnaise in recipes. Personally I like the combination because it’s the perfect amount of sweetness. But you can use all of either if you prefer. The ketchup adds a little sweetness as well, and of course that signature pink colour that screams shrimp.
Since you don’t want large pieces of onion in your Shrimp Dip, using a grater is a quick way to give you very small pieces. But it also ends up being quite wet so drain the onion on a paper towel before adding to the other ingredients. You can mix this up by hand but a hand blender is easier. It helps quickly break down the cream cheese so you don’t have white clumps in your Shrimp Dip. Stir in the shrimp once the creamy ingredients are well blended.
It doesn’t matter what size shrimp you use since you’re chopping them up anyway. The packaging will have sizes indicated in numbers. For example 31/40 which means there’s between 31 and 40 shrimp of that size in a pound. This recipe calls for one cup of chopped shrimp but you can get away with a little more. I typically sneak in about a cup and a half which is about 150 grams or 5 ounces. Give or take.
Frozen shrimp should be defrosted in the fridge. If they’re still a bit frosty when you’re ready to mix up the dip, rinse with cold water and drain well. Then give them a really good squeeze with paper towel. This way you aren’t adding too much moisture to the dip. Chop them up well but leave a few larger chunks too. Save one shrimp for the top.
It’s best to chill your dip for at least an hour after mixing to allow the mixture to firm up. Once you’re ready to serve, top with some fresh green onion and lay the reserved shrimp on top. This way anyone with a seafood allergy will know what’s in there.
Yes, you could totally make this dip with crab instead. Make it exactly the same, or leave out the ketchup and horseradish. It’s up to you!
If you make Shrimp Dip, consider leaving a comment or rating. Here’s the recipe:
Shrimp Dip
Ingredients
- 1 block cream cheese 8 oz or 250 g
- ½ lemon, juiced or 2 Tbsp
- ¼ C mayonnaise
- ¼ C Miracle Whip
- 2 Tbsp Ketchup
- 2 tsp horseradish
- ½ onion, grated and drained
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- pinch salt
- 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp up to 1 ½
- minced green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Mix together room temperature cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Add mayonnaise, Miracle Whip, ketchup, horseradish, grated onion, Worcestershire and salt. Blend well with a hand blender until very smooth.
- Remove shells, tails and veins from cooked shrimp. Rinse and drain well. Squeeze dry. Chop into chunks and combine with cheese mixture. Chill at least an hour before serving.
- Top with minced green onion and a single shrimp. Serve with crackers and/or vegetables for dipping and spreading.
Sounds good,I’m going to try it. think my mom used to make something like this. Thanks Marci.
My cousin confirmed my grandmother made it with canned shrimp but it’s so much better with larger chunks of fresh or frozen shrimp!
Interesting horse radish. I think that’s a must!
Going to give this one a go.
Wendy
It’s gluten free too!