Layered Shrimp Cocktail Dip - Perfect Appetizer

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Layered Shrimp Cocktail Dip is the perfect appetizer for special occasions. This New Orleans-inspired easy appetizer takes no time to prepare and tastes as good as it looks! It consists of a spicy cocktail sauce layer topped with succulent shrimp on top of a flavored cream cheese base. I like to serve it with my favorite crackers and sometimes tortilla chips.

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Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
Here’s How I Made The Components of This Recipe
Here’s How I Put This Appetizer Together
Frequently Asked Questions
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Recipe

Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need

This amazing appetizer uses basic ingredients and has three basic layers plus a garnish.

Cream Cheese Layer: The cream cheese layer includes room temperature cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion, and one to two garlic cloves. If desired, you can also add a little bit of kosher salt and black pepper to this layer.

The Cocktail Sauce Layer: For the cocktail sauce layer, I used my standard recipe, which included chili sauce, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice.

The Shrimp Layer: With the word shrimp in the title, you shouldn’t be surprised that I used fresh-boiled shrimp.

The Garnish: For the garnish, I used sliced green onion tops.

Here’s How I Made The Components of This Recipe

As I previously indicated, this delicious recipe contains three basic layers.

First step – use your hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, minced onion, and minced garlic for the cream cheese layer.

Beating together the ingredients for the cream cheese layer.

Second step – spread the cheese in an even layer in an 8-inch springform pan. Then, cover the cream cheese layer and refrigerate it overnight to allow the flavors to blend together.

Spreading cream cheese mixture in 8-inch springform pan.

Third step – mix chili sauce, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice together. Then, cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to blend together.

Whisking together cocktail sauce ingredients.

Here’s How I Put This Appetizer Together

One of the beauties of this cream cheese shrimp dip is that the three layers can be made ahead of time and assembled right before serving.

For the assembly, I started by removing the sides of the springform pan from the cream cheese layer.

Next, I spread about half of the cocktail sauce over the cream cheese layer. I saved the rest of it for another use.

Then, I sprinkled the chopped shrimp on the top. Finally, I garnished the appetizer with chopped green onions.

I served this amazing appetizer with saltine crackers. My friend Jim was the first to dive into it!

So, if you’re looking for an amazing shrimp cocktail dip to add to your list of holiday appetizers or party dips, look no further. Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is prepared horseradish the same as creamed horseradish?

For this recipe, I used prepared horseradish, which is not the same as creamed horseradish,. Prepared horseradish, which is sold in the refrigerated section of a grocery store, is primarily made with the horseradish root. Often, vinegar, sugar, and salt are added. As such, it has a pungent and intense flavor. Creamed horseradish, which is sold in the condiment section of a grocery store, adds a creamy base to the prepared horseradish.

Can creamed horseradish be substituted for prepared horseradish?

I wouldn’t recommend substituting creamed horseradish for the prepared horseradish in the cocktail sauce. The reason is that the creamed horseradish would not provide the same depth of flavor as the prepared horseradish.

Can this be prepared in advance?

You can prepare the individual layers of the shrimp cocktail spread a day or two in advance. However, you should wait until right before serving to assemble the dish.

What about leftovers?

This dish is best eaten right after assembly. While the leftovers, if any, will still be yummy, they will look somewhat of a mess as the layers start to mesh together when it’s eaten.

Can ketchup be substituted for chili sauce?

The cocktail sauce tends to be spicier and thicker than ketchup. If you’re in a pinch, ketchup can be substituted. However, the cocktail sauce is really better-using than chili sauce.

What about just using store-bought cocktail sauce?

I’ve never used the store-bought variety, so don’t know whether it could be successfully used in this recipe.

How many servings does this recipe make?

You can count on 10-12 servings from this recipe.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

I like to use a springform pan for this recipe. However, if you don’t have a springform pan, you can use an 8-inch quiche dish or a shallow serving dish.

You can substitute 4 ounces of sour cream for a creamier shrimp cocktail dip for 4 ounces of cream cheese for the cream cheese layer.

If you prefer a spicier cocktail sauce, you can add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

If you’d prefer a more traditional shrimp cocktail, try my amazing Classic Shrimp Cocktail.

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