This is something that I always make this time of year, usually more than once. It is just the right combination of easy-to-make, ingredients that are easy to keep on hand, and crowd-pleasingly delicious. Just the right tonic for holiday stress. (Well, ok, there are stronger tonics you might argue for—but you probably want something to eat with that, right?)
Just soften up a brick of cream cheese in the microwave, add a little* mayonnaise, and other ingredients to taste. (Please consider the list below as guidelines only—the fun thing about dips is you get to be creative!)
Thoroughly drain the oysters (they are quite oily—I usually pat the excess off with a clean paper towel), and chop. Coarse or fine, depending on whether you like your dips smooth or with chunks (I like the chunks). Stir into cream cheese mixture and chill until ready to serve.
*Funny story: This was originally inspired by a recipe in The Southern Living Cookbook (my old edition, as always). It called for 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise. Dips are not something that I will dirty measuring cups and spoons for, ever. Whenever I made it, I added what looked like a sufficient quantity of mayo without ever really stopping to think about what one and a half cups would look like. Until one time, a (current girl-) friend of a (formerly more-than-) friend tried the dip, loved it, and asked for the recipe. I duly copied it out, exactly as it was in the book. When the recipient made the dip faithfully from the recipe, she wondered if maybe I bore her a grudge (I didn’t)—the dip tasted like nothing but mayonnaise!
I have tried to be a bit more accurate as to the measurements here, but do adjust to your taste:
Smoked Oyster Dip
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 or 2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2-4 tsp. hot pepper sauce (any kind you favor, but do adjust the quantity to taste)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tin (3.75 oz.) smoked oysters, drained and chopped
Combine all ingredients except the oysters; blend thoroughly. Stir in the chopped oysters until just distributed throughout. Chill.
Serve with crackers or fresh bread for dipping.
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