Christmas Eve was always a big deal in my family. We are a large, Italian brood, and our festivities would be filled with food for an army and laughter that could be heard down the block. Appetizers took the place of a formal meal, along with popping bottles of Asti Spumante, and my Gram’s famous cookies. One appetizer that was always a must, was shrimp cocktail. And even though my current Christmas celebrations are now much smaller, shrimp cocktail is always on my list of things to serve.

This year my shrimp cocktail will be served on a bed of whipped dill cream cheese, covered in cocktail sauce, and topped with chopped shrimp dusted in Old Bay seasoning. Pickled shallots, lemon zest, and a hefty sprinkling of dill garnish the top, and it’s all served on a buttery, salty, Ritz cracker. It’s shrimp cocktail! It’s dip! And it’s perfect. And you know I’ll be washing this down with an ice cold bottle of Asti Spumante, it’s tradition.

Shrimp Cocktail Dip

Ingredients:

1 shallot, sliced

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 C distilled white vinegar

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 C dill fronds + more for garnish

1/4 C cocktail sauce

3/4 lb cooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/4 tsp lemon zest

lemon wedges

Ritz crackers

Make the pickled shallots by combining sliced shallots, salt, and vinegar in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until you’re done prepping the rest of the ingredients.

In a food processor, pulse the cream cheese until fluffy and smooth. Add the dill and pulse a few more times until incorporated in the cream cheese.

Spread the cream cheese in the bottom of a serving dish in to an even layer. Top with cocktail sauce, smoothing into an even layer.

Cut shrimp into small bite size pieces, approximately 1/2” in size. Cover the cocktail sauce with the shrimp and sprinkle the Old Bay over the shrimp. Top with the pickled shallots, dill fronds, lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon.

Serve with Ritz crackers and a few more lemon wedges.