Grilled Clam Dip

Is there anything better than dipping into a thick, creamy, dip bursting with savory spices, a little briny salt, and hint of smoke? Grab your favorite bag of potato chips or fry up your own. Grilled Clam Dip is going to be your new happy hour and game day go-to.

Who doesn’t love chips and dip? The combination of salty, crunchy potatoes and decadently luscious dip is always a crowd favorite. Dress up this seafood dip with your favorite rosé and homemade Rosemary Potato Chips or serve it with a cold beer while cheering on your college football team.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Clam dip is a slightly retro yet beloved dip with both east and west coast variations. Grilled Clam Dip uses many of the common flavors of a more traditional recipe while bringing in the additional ingredient of smoke.

• Easy Process – The only actual cooking required for this recipe is the grilling of the clams and the green onions. Other than that, there’s minimal chopping and a quick stir. Anyone can make this on any type of grill.
• Budget Friendly – When it comes to seafood clams are among the most budget friendly. The remaining ingredients are either pantry staples like Worcestershire sauce, or items you might already have in your refrigerator.
• Accessible Ingredients – Most grocery stores carry clams. Not only are they available year-round but they are also one of the most sustainable seafoods.
• Familiar Flavors – The base of this dip starts like many other dip recipes with cream cheese and sour cream. Even if you think you don’t like clams or seafood in general, this is a great way to try it.
• Meal Prep – This is a perfect dish to make ahead of time. In fact, it’s even better the next day, allowing the flavors to meld.

Ingredients

This dip is both easy to make and also easy to shop for. Make sure you buy your clams the day you plan on using them as they are best fresh.

• Littleneck Clams – Littleneck clams are the smallest of the hard shell clams. Not only do the clams themselves go into the dip, but the brine adds additional salt and flavor.
• Cream Cheese – Clam dip with cream cheese is a classic. Thick, tangy, and irresistibly creamy, cream cheese will have you double dipping.
• Sour Cream – Another layer of tangy creaminess, sour cream accents the cream cheese while helping make the finished clam dip more dippable.
• Green Onions – These add freshness and delicate onion flavor.
• Seafood Seasoning – The classic Old Bay works well in this dish. Spice and Tea Exchange’s Chesapeake Spice Blend is also a great option as well as their Coastal Blend for even more dill flavor.
• Dried Dill – Adds a fresh hint of herbaceous flavor that compliments the briny flavor of the clams without overpowering them.
• Granulated Garlic – More mellow than fresh garlic, it easily melts into the dip and adds a savory back note.
• Cayenne Pepper – Add a little for a whisper of heat or go heavy to give this dip a kick.
• Worcestershire Sauce – The anchovy in Worcestershire is a classic compliment to seafood. Adds both salt and also a note of umami.
• Lemon – Both the juice and zest of the lemon are used in this dip to wake up all of the flavors and cut through the richness.
• Kosher Salt – Taste your dip before salting it. There are already components of salt in other ingredients including the brine from the clams.

How to Make Grilled Clam Dip

Fire up your grill and pour yourself a cocktail. This fun and festive seafood dip is a great way to grill seafood if you’re new to it while also being a great way to give this classic New England clam dip a total makeover.

• Prep – Make sure that your cream cheese is at room temperature. This will help everything mix together smoothly. Prepare your charcoal grill for direct grilling.
• Grill – Place your green onions and clams over direct heat. The onions will only take a few minutes to lightly char. Remove them to a plate once they are wilted and a little blackened. The clams will take 5-8 minutes to cook. You will begin to see them slightly open and bubble, and then they will pop open. As soon as they open carefully transfer them to a bowl to retain their brine.
• Chop – Remove the clams from their shells. Give them a rough chop. Retain one tablespoon of brine from the bowl. Finely chop up the green onions.
• Mix – Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.

• Chill – Cover your clam dip and allow it to refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Serve – This dip can be served with your favorite crudites, but let’s be honest, you know you want to dive in with those crispy, salty potato chips. No judgement if you double dip!

How to Buy, Store and Clean Live Clams

• Buying – When purchasing your clams, always look for clams that are closed and don’t have damaged shells. If they are open, give them a light tap. If they close back up they are still alive.
• Storing – Always plan on cooking your live clams the same day that you purchase them. However, they can be bought earlier in the day and stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in a colander either on a plate or with the colander in a larger bowl so the air can flow around them. Cover the top of them with a damp paper towel.
• Cleaning – There are multiple methods when it comes to cleaning clams including but not limited to adding them to salted water or throwing in a sprinkle of cornmeal. Sometimes keeping it simple is the best and also easiest. Give your clams a gentle scrub to remove any outside grit. Place them in a colander and put the colander into a larger bowl. Fill the bowl with cool water and allow your clams to soak for 10 minutes. Dump the water from the bowl and give the clams a rinse. Repeat the process another 1-2 times until there is no sand in the bowl. Your clams may open while they are soaking in the water. Give them a gentle tap to make sure they close. Discard any clams that remain open.

Substitutions

• Less Fat – Both less fat cream cheese and sour cream can easily be used in this recipe.
• Canned Clams – You can use minced canned clams in this recipe but will have a slightly different flavor and texture. Make sure to retain a tablespoon on the brine before draining the can. I recommend Bar Harbor 6.5 oz chopped sea clams.
• Middleneck – Middlneck clams are the same species as littleneck, just larger. For even more clam flavor replace the littlenecks in this recipe with middlenecks. Because they are slightly larger they won’t be quite as tender but do benefit from being chopped.

How to Serve Clam Dip

This is a thick and creamy dip. Potato chips are the classic vehicle to shovel this into your mouth. Make sure that they’re sturdy enough to hold up to its weight. You can also serve this with crackers or your favorite veggie dippers such as carrots and celery.

Storage

This creamy clam dip is one of those dishes that just gets better the longer it refrigerates. Keep it in an airtight container for up to a week. Because of the cream cheese this is a thicker dip and will thicken up once cold.

Tip From the Beach

Taste your dip after it has chilled before adding any salt. The seafood seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and clams themselves all have a level of salinity to them and as it sits the flavors will develop. Keep in mind that you’re probably going to serve this with potato chips which are also salty.

For more clam recipes, make sure to check out Jamaican Jerk Clams and Easy Seafood Paella.

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