Spicy Shrimp Dip

Our shrimp dip recipe combines cooked and diced shrimp with cream cheese, mayonnaise, lime juice, and cilantro. It gets a spicy kick from minced serrano chiles and is finished with a crunchy panko topping that perfectly complements the creamy dip underneath. Served warm, it’s a deliciously rich seafood appetizer that you can riff on in so many ways—leave the seeds in the chiles for more heat, swap out the cilantro for parsley, or substitute crushed oyster crackers for the panko. This spicy and creamy dip is delicious served with crostini, tortilla chips, pita chips, or sliced cucumbers.

Prepping and Cooking the Shrimp

Thawing: If you've bought frozen shrimp, you'll want to thaw them first by letting the bag sit overnight in the refrigerator or transferring the shrimp to a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes.

Cooking: Poaching shrimp with their shells on helps them cook more gently, resulting in the best finished texture. Once you've added the shrimp to the simmering water, cook them just until they're pink and opaque—this should take only one to two minutes. Be sure to quickly transfer them to a colander and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Alternatively, transfer them to a bowl of ice water, then drain and pat dry.

Peeling and deveining: Before chopping them into small pieces, you'll need to peel and then devein the shrimp to remove the dark digestive tract that runs along their backs. Use kitchen shears or a paring knife to cut along the back of the shell, then pull out the vein. Remove the shells and tails, then cut the shrimp into half-inch pieces.

Make Ahead

This dip can be assembled up to 8 hours ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. When it's time to cook, remove the plastic and add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.