Usually, canned mussels are a fallback, something to reach for when you’re craving spaghetti alle vongole or a steaming bowl of chowder, but fresh clams just aren’t in the cards.
Not so for clam dip, which was made very specifically for canned mussels.
The recipe’s heyday was in the 1950s, so it’s not surprising that the main ingredients are two basic ingredients—cream cheese and canned clams—mixed together and then seasoned with a little cayenne pepper, Worcestershire, and lemon juice. Fresh clams would be as out of place as a pink fillet of albacore tuna in a tuna melt. The whole point of Clam dip is to celebrate the convenience of the can.
Most classic recipes are served cold or at room temperature. But, inspired by my inordinate love of hot crab dip, I tried baking the clam and cream cheese mixture to see what would happen.
Very good things came out of it.
In another nod to that crab dip, I threw in some shredded cheese, something you’d never see in a cold dip, for an appealing gooey melted texture that helps it rise on your potato chips. Another advantage of hot dip: the clams become smooth instead of slightly chewy, a welcome change.
To zip things up, I added jalapeño, hot sauce, and scallions to the mix. The amounts given make for a flavorful dip that isn’t too fiery. Feel free to use more or back off a little to suit your heat tolerance and taste.
A non-traditional and optional ingredient here is fish sauce. That intoxicating amber liquid is the essence of seafood and really enhances the flavor of the dip. If you’re using it, you probably won’t need to add salt as it salts the dish with an extra umami shake.
Like all hot dips, this one is straight out of the oven at best, and it stays nearly as good for another hour or so, after which it starts to fade.
If you want to work ahead, mix the dip up to three days in advance and store in the refrigerator. It gets better as the flavors blend together. Then bake the dip as close to serving time as possible. And don’t worry too much about the temperature: the chances of a dip that’s creamy, rich, and savory, and stay long enough to go cold, is slim at best.
Recipe: Spicy Clam Dip