I received a gift card to facilitate the creation of this creamy shrimp dip recipe from Cost Plus World Market®‎; all opinions are my own.

Shrimp Dip - Easy Appetizer Recipe fresh and delicious

When you think of a shrimp dip appetizer, does a block of cream cheese with cocktail sauce and canned shrimp spooned over it come to mind? It doesn’t have to. There are other ways to enjoy shrimp and cream cheese that’s fresh and delicious!

[alert-announce]Summer Outdoor Party Recipes: Grilled Caprese Pesto Sliders Appetizers, Roasted Bell Pepper and Chipotle Sliders, Easy and Creamy Shrimp Dip Appetizer,  Spinach Strawberry and Feta Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing,  Sparkling Lemonade, barbecue chicken, grilled asparagus, and Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Grilled Pineapple and Toasted Coconut – also view our Outdoor Entertaining Ideas: Relaxing Coastal Theme party post [/alert-announce]

Shrimp Dip – Fresh and Easy

This recipe is super easy and since I buy my shrimp already deveined, it’s not difficult at all. Just remember to shell your shrimp before you cook them. I forgot to this time (I wondered why they had legs) so I did it after cooking but I placed them back in the pan and swirled them around to pick up all the yummy goodness of the oil and butter from the pan.

You can save a little money deveining your own, there are plenty of how-to devein videos online, but I’m a vegetarian who cooks meat for the hubby and one less interaction with it is worth the few pennies to have someone else take care of it. Plus, if I did it I’d likely end up cutting out good shrimp meat and that’d be a crime.

Shrimp Dip – Seasoning and Presentation Ideas

The flavor in this recipe comes from Old Bay Seasoning which is hugely popular back east but harder to find on this coast. Weird since Seattle is such a huge seafood port. I did taste this dip before the shrimp was added and it was delicious! I’m a huge fan now of this spice that evidently everyone else knew all about but was keeping a secret! It also tints the dip and gives it a pleasing pink tinge.

World Market Sea Urchin Bowl - 2014 Sea Life Collection

I placed this is a fabulous Sea Urchin bowl from World Market (part of their Sea Life Collection – they’re on sale now – $9.58 for two). It’s the PERFECT size for an appetizer shrimp dip and will be a bowl that gets a lot of use in my kitchen; however, it’s beautiful enough to sit on a desktop to collect lose pocket objects, jewelry, or hold potpourri.

I used it to serve this dip at our BBQ and it looked fabulous and fit right into the theme. I’m told it was fabulous, I can only attest that before the shrimp was added I was happily making my way to the bottom of the bowl with carrot and celery sticks.

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Shrimp Dip – Easy Appetizer Recipe
Ingredients
  • ½ pound deveined and peeled shrimp, cooked and chopped (about 11 large)
  • 1 Tbls Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbls Butter
  • 2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, divided 
  • 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ c  mayonnaise 
  • 1 tsp lemon juice, fresh
  • dash salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp of fresh dill weed, divided
  • ¼ cup chopped green onion
  • ¼ cup chopped celery
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter until melted over medium heat. Add peeled and deveined shrimp and sprinkle with 1 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning. (Note: the pictures show that I forgot to peel the shrimp before cooking. I realized my mistake and shelled them them back in the pan for a moment to coat them with the seasoning in the pan - oops!)
  2. Cook until pink - about 2 minutes per side.  Remove from heat an allow to cool. Once fully cooled, chop the shrimp into bit-sized pieces.
  3. In the  bowl of food processor, add  cream cheese, mayonnaise, 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix until creamy.
  4. Stir in 1 tsp chopped dill weed, green onion, celery, and chopped shrimp meat.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving (can be made a day ahead).
  6. Remove from refrigerator and stir. Top with reserved dill weed and serve with crackers, vegetables, or place on cucumber rounds.
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Do you have a favorite fresh shrimp dip recipe? It’s OK if you love the cream cheese and cocktail version – I love it too (without the shrimp) at Christmas!