Creamy Shrimp Dip Appetizer

This Creamy Shrimp Dip Appetizer has a fun retro vibe that will get your next party started!

Mayonnaise and sour cream, provide the creamy base. Chopped celery adds crunch and sliced green onions lend their lovely little bite. Chopped shrimp, the star of this addictive concoction, adds sweetness and a welcome boost of protein. A squeeze of lemon provides just the right amount of tartness to balance out the rich mayo and cream cheese.

Creamy Shrimp Dip Appetizer

Buying Cooked vs. Uncooked Shrimp

You can purchase cooked shrimp to keep this recipe super easy. I decided to cook my own because I had some uncooked shrimp in the freezer. After thawing, I simply seasoned the peeled shrimp with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and sauteed them in olive oil for a few minutes per side. Once cooked, I let them cool and then patted them with paper towels to remove excess oil before chopping them. I believe cooking the shrimp myself added some additional flavor to the dip.

Building An Appetizer Platter

An array of antipasto-like offerings has always been one of my favorite appetizers. For a recent dinner party, I pulled together this lovely array which included:

• Creamy Shrimp Dip Appetizer
• Potato Chips
• Rosemary Wafer Crackers
• Sliced Salami
• Olives
• Rosemary and Sea Salt Almonds
• Stuffed Cherry Peppers

Stuffed Cherry Peppers

These tangy little peppers transform into a fun finger food when stuffed with salami and cheese. The original recipe by Andrew Purcell on the Food Network Magazine suggested small cubes of aged provolone. To be honest, I found aged provolone to be too sharp from my taste. Other options would include provolone or mozzarella, or pipe in flavored cream cheese like I did.

Instructions:

Stem and seed hot or sweet pickled cherry peppers. Wrap strips of thinly sliced salami around cubes of provolone (or other cheese) and stuff inside the peppers. I folded my salami slices in half first. Drizzle peppers with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Cream Cheese Stuffed Variation: Mix 4 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1/2 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning packet until well combined. Fold salami slices in half and line inside of peppers. Use piping bag or a resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped off to pipe cheese mixture into the salami lined peppers. Sprinkle with parsley. Omit olive oil with this variation.

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