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I wish I could tell you an dramatic origin story about this clam dip, a salty-briney-creamy spread that\u2019s made an appearance at every one of my family\u2019s holiday parties for as long as I can remember. I’d love to say that my grandparents met while both reaching towards it, chips in hand\u2014”No you go!”\u2014at a friend’s house in 1948. But over Thanksgiving<\/a>, when I asked my mom for any details about it at all, she had little to say other than, \u201cYour grandma always made it, and it was always a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n With an endorsement that strong, does a romantic story even matter? The actual recipe itself is a bit of a non-recipe: Gather one 8-ounce brick of softened cream cheese and one 6.5-ounce can of Snow\u2019s chopped clams. Reserve the clam juice, then add the clams and cream cheese to a bowl, and mix together with a fork, adding clam juice to thin it out as you go. The result is a salty, briney, creamy dip that\u2019s best served with\u2014and this part is important to my mom\u2014Fritos.<\/p>\n As a kid, it became my responsibility to make the clam dip for family gatherings, and over the years, I\u2019ve experimented with volume, minced vs chopped clams, and dippers (my mom is right about the Fritos, and since 1994, Fritos Scoops have been her favorite). And yet\u2014it\u2019s never gone wrong, though I do use an electric mixer to make my life easier now, especially when I\u2019m doubling the recipe. (You should double the recipe.)<\/p>\n You can adapt it easily, and my grandma was even known to add a hint of Worcestershire sauce and fresh chives on top for flair. But I think the simplest version is best. And with the help of spoon-like Fritos Scoops, it\u2019s the ideal sidekick to hours of euchre in my parents\u2019 Michigan home. The clam dip is vintage without feeling too kitschy or overdone, trendy\u2014because, well, have you heard of tinned fish?\u2014and Midwestern in the best way. (Hello, cream cheese.) And easy! All it\u2019s missing is a sexy origin story.<\/p>\n
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