Clam dip is a dipping sauce and

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

prepared with

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shel ...

sour cream Sour cream (in North American English, Australian English and New Zealand English) or soured cream (British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, ...

cream cheese Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...

, and seasonings as primary ingredients. Various additional ingredients can be used. It is usually served chilled, although it is sometimes served hot or at room temperature. It is used as a dip for

potato chips A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...

, crackers, bread, and

crudités Crudités (, ) are French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce. Examples of crudités include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips ...

. Commercial varieties of clam dip are

mass-produced Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...

by some companies and marketed to consumers in grocery stores and supermarkets.

History

In the early 1950s in the United States, the first televised recipe for clam dip appeared on the '' Kraft Music Hall'' show, a well-known and popular radio and television variety program broadcast on NBC from 1933 to 1971. After the recipe segment aired, canned clams in New York City reportedly sold out within 24 hours. The ingredients used in this recipe were minced canned clams, cream cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Clam dip remained popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S., at which time prepared manufactured clam dips were available in U.S. supermarkets. As various tomato based

salsas Salsas is a civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined f ...

gained more popularity with American consumers beginning in the late 1980s and 1990s, the popularity of clam dip and similar dips made with sour cream and cream cheese declined.

Preparation

Clam dip is typically prepared using chopped or minced

, and various seasonings, and usually served chilled. It is used as a dip for

potato chip A potato chip (North American English; often just chip) or crisp (British and Irish English) is a thin slice of potato that has been either deep fried, baked, or air fried until crunchy. They are commonly served as a snack, side dish, or ap ...

s, bread, crackers, and

. It has a creamy texture and

mouthfeel Mouthfeel refers to the physical sensations in the mouth caused by food or drink, making it distinct from taste. It is a fundamental sensory attribute which, along with taste and smell, determines the overall flavor of a food item. Mouthfeel ...

. Canned, cooked, and frozen or fresh clams may be used, the latter of which can be cooked by steaming or pan cooking. Canned clams can be drained, or the liquid can be retained and used as an ingredient. After refrigeration, the dip may thicken, and the liquid from canned clams can be used to thin the dip. Milk or cream is also sometimes used to thin clam dip. When refrigerated overnight, the flavors of the ingredients intermingle more greatly, resulting in a more flavorful dip. Smoked clams are sometimes used, which imbues a distinct smoky flavor to the dip. The clams can be smoked in the shell and then minced afterward. Additional ingredients can be used, such as lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, onion,

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus '' Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, c ...

shallot The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...

chives Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and ...

, garlic, and pepper sauce. The ingredients can be mixed using a food processor. It is sometimes served as a hot dip, which can be kept warm using a

chafing dish A chafing dish is a metal cooking or serving pan on a stand with an alcohol burner holding chafing fuel below it. It is used for cooking at table, notably in Gueridon service, or as a food warmer for keeping dishes at a buffet warm. Historica ...

, and melted cheese can be used as an ingredient in hot versions. It is also sometimes served at room temperature. Clam dip can be served in a hollowed-out loaf of bread, such as sourdough. It can be garnished with ingredients such as parsley, scallions and paprika. Crudités to accompany the dish can include red peppers, carrots, radishes, and cauliflower, among others. Prepared clam dip can be preserved by storing it in a freezer.

Commercial varieties

Some companies

mass-produce Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and batch ...

commercial varieties of prepared clam dip and market them to consumers in grocery stores and supermarkets. Commercial varieties are typically packaged in plastic tubs. Prepared clam dip mixes have also been commercially manufactured and marketed to consumers. One such product comes packaged with dried sour cream that is reconstituted using water.

Nutrition information

A one-tablespoon serving of clam dip using the recipe that aired in the early 1950s on the ''Kraft Music Hall'' show contains 71 calories, 1 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 5 g total fat (with 3 g saturated fat), 25 mg cholesterol and 136 mg sodium.

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline, Clam dips
Clam dip recipe
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