The New Year is upon us and dip recipes are a staple for planning upcoming celebrations throughout the year. As a party starter everyone loves a good dip, and these three dip recipes are a delightful variation on the theme. The Crab Rangoon Dip takes its inspiration from that favorite Chinese takeout dumpling. The Cranberry Cobb Dip is similar to a layered salad, and the Barbecue Shrimp Dip is inspired by the spicy shrimp dishes of New Orleans. Whichever of these dip recipes you choose, I can guarantee they all are finger-dipping good.
Read Related: Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Dip
LAYERED CRAB RANGOON DIP
Serves: 10-12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
⅓ cup milk
1 pound fresh lump or jumbo lump crabmeat
One 8-ounce can whole water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 Tbsp. hot Chinese mustard
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sweet & sour sauce
1 small romaine lettuce heart, thinly shredded
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely-packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Fried wonton skins, shrimp chips or rice crackers, for serving
Instructions
1. Beat together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
2. Combine the crabmeat, water chestnuts, mustard, onion, Worcestershire, soy sauce, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine.
3. Spread out the cream cheese mixture in an even layer in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spread the sweet-and-sour sauce on top, leaving about a 1-inch border of cream cheese all around.
4. Spoon the crab mixture on top of the sweet & sour sauce. The dip can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated, covered, overnight.
5. Just before serving, scatter the lettuce, scallions and cilantro over the crab, leaving a 1-inch border all around.
6. Serve with wonton skins, shrimp chips or rice crackers.
NEW ORLEANS BARBECUE SHRIMP DIP
Serves: 8-10
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 4 hr 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup chili sauce
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. hot sauce
1 ¼ pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp, tails removed
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
½ cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crackers and crunchy rustic bread for serving
Instructions
1. Melt 4 Tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the chili sauce, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, cayenne, oregano, paprika and hot sauce. Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the shrimp and cook until they are pink and just cooked through, flipping once, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
3. When cool, place the shrimp mixture in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. (The shrimp mixture can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated.)
4. Combine the cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl and stir vigorously with a rubber spatula until smooth.
5. Add the shrimp mixture, scallion whites, parsley, 1 ¼ tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir to combine. Place in a 5-cup broiler-safe casserole dish and spread evenly.
6. Melt the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter and pour over the top of the shrimp dip, making sure to cover the entire surface with a thin layer of butter. Sprinkle with the scallion greens.
7. Chill for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
8. Just before serving, position an oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler. Broil the dip until the butter layer just begins to melt.
9. Serve with the crackers and crunchy bread.
SEVEN-LAYER CRANBERRY COBB DIP
Serves: 8-10
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups walnut halves
7 ounces sourdough bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 cups sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups shredded skinless boneless meat from a rotisserie chicken (about 1 whole chicken)
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups crumbled blue cheese
6 stalks celery, leaves separated and reserved, stalks coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups dried cranberries
Crackers for serving
Instructions
1. Adjust two oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. 2. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and the bread on another baking sheet. Bake the walnuts until golden and toasted, about 10 minutes.
3. Bake the bread until lightly golden brown and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Set both aside to cool completely.
4. Chop 2 cups of the walnuts and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, parsley, scallions, ½ tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.
6. Put the chicken in a food processor along with 1 cup of the sour cream mixture, ¼ tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper. Process until the mixture is a chunky puree. Transfer to another medium bowl and set aside.
7. Rinse out the food processor, and add the toasted bread, 2 cups of the unchopped walnuts, the mustard and 1 teaspoon salt. Process until the mixture resembles a chunky puree. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil and 2 tablespoons water through the feed tube. Continue to process until smooth.
8. To assemble the dip, make an even layer of the chicken salad in the bottom of a 2-quart trifle bowl. Then top with even layers of the following: the walnut mixture, chopped celery stalks, blue cheese, the reserved finely chopped walnuts, the remaining sour cream-herb sauce and then the cranberries. Sprinkle with the celery leaves.
9. Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours or overnight.
10. Serve with crackers.
Recipes and photos courtesy of Food Network.com.
