Shrimp Dip

In the world of party appetizers, there's a time for fancy, and there's a time for oh-my-gosh-I-only-have-10-minutes-to-make-something-that-I-wouldn't-be-ashamed-to-serve-to-guests. Usually I'm in the latter camp, having grossly underestimated the time it takes to get organized. For these times it's helpful to have a dish like this shrimp dip in one's back pocket. Some little pink shrimp (they're sustainable and sweet), some cream cheese, a touch of mayo, a little lemon, some chopped herbs, a dash of hot sauce and presto! A lovely dip—thick, shrimpy, and brightly flavored with the lemon, herbs, and hot sauce. Keep some frozen shrimp around for occasions like this, and some crackers, and you can pull it all together in 10 minutes. (Well maybe 15 if you have to defrost the shrimp.)

Shrimp Dip Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes If using frozen shrimp, defrost safely by placing in a bowl of ice water. When defrosted, strain.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
  
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  
• 2 to 4 Tbsp of lemon juice (2 if regular lemon, 4 if Meyer lemon), more to taste
  
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  
• 3/4 pound cooked, shelled, small pink shrimp (salad shrimp)
  
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions, including the greens
  
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce
  
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 In a medium bowl beat together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat until smooth (you may need to use a whisk.) 2 If you have a food processor, pulse together the shrimp and the cream cheese mixture, three 1-second pulses. If not, or if you just don't want to deal with the food processor, chop up the shrimp—fine to medium chop—and mix into the cream cheese.
3 Return to the bowl and stir in the scallions and parsley. Add the hot sauce and black pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice to taste. Keep chilled. Serve with crackers or crudite.

Yield: Makes about 2 cups of dip.

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