I want to introduce you to an absolute favorite recipe in our family. If you’re wondering what constitutes a “favorite recipe” in our house, you might enjoy this little story. My 16 year old worked really hard on a goal she had set for herself – a goal that I promised, once accomplished, would result in my making an entire pan of whatever she wanted, just for her. I had visions of cinnamon buns, brownies, or cookies floating around in my head. Not this girl – she asked for a pan of this (amazing) layered seafood dip (aka Seafood pizza in our house) all for her. Yep – it’s that good.

A little disclaimer: I’m not a big seafood fan. Not like others in my family. I don’t enjoy just eating shrimp on its own or ordering sashimi for dinner. But I do like a little seafood when paired with some of my favorite flavors (like in the salad rolls I shared a while back.) However, if you REALLY are not a fan of seafood at all (hey, I don’t judge!) then I have some good news – this recipe is easily adapted to your specific tastes. Feel free to omit the seafood completely, or add in crab meat or even cooked chicken in it’s place. You can experiment with different sauces and veggies, or even different Cheese. Maybe try marinara sauce and your favorite pizza toppings. The sky is the limit!

I should also add, this is not a diet recipe. Calories show up to this party in droves – but they are fun to hang out with sometimes. Just don’t invite them over the next time

Okay let’s meet the players (i.e. ingredients) in this pile of deliciousness:

Ingredients:

• 1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/3-1/2 cup sour cream (can substitute with greek yogurt – yummo!)
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip (or mayo if that’s what you have. I like the extra ‘zip’ in Miracle Whip)
• 1/2 small jar seafood (cocktail) sauce (around 1/2 cup). If you aren’t sure what this is, it’s (essentially) a marriage between ketchup and horseradish. But better.
• 2 cups diced shrimp or crab meat (can omit if you want – it’s all love.)
• 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 bell pepper, finely diced (I like using yellow or orange for the color)
• 1 small tomato, finely diced
• 1-2 cups sliced mozzarella cheese (can substitute with marble or even cheddar)
• Chips or crackers (or veggies) for dipping
• Opt: could add in black olives, mushrooms, or your other favorite veggies

Let’s get started!

Directions:

1. Cream the softened cream cheese until smooth. It’s best to do this before adding in anything else to avoid lumps. I still sometimes get lumps – I just think of them as little dollops of joy.
2. Add in the sour cream and Miracle Whip and cream until smooth.
3. Spread the cream mixture in a cookie sheet, pizza pan, or even in a large pie plate.
4. Spread the seafood sauce over the cream cheese layer.
5. Evenly sprinkle the chunks of seafood (I love shrimp) over the sauce layer.
6. Layer the veggies over the seafood layer, trying to spread them out as evenly as possible.
7. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
8. Enjoy!

This is always a big hit at potlucks, parties, and those moments when you want to eat your feelings. Really, it is deliciousness in a pan. It’s a great alternative to the Mexican layered dips when you just feel like a little something different.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Now that you’ve got seafood on the brain, let us hook you up with a few more delicious recipes featuring our favorite ingredients from the sea:

Shrimp Kebab Recipe

Vietnamese Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Wicked Simple Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado Cream

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