The Old-School '50s Seafood Dip That Costs Under $5 To Make

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Some dips are rich and filling enough to be a meal all on their own. Steaming hot spinach artichoke dip is cheesy, earthy, and nourishing, while crab dip feels like eating a crab cake. But one unique appetizer, clam dip, is especially popular among seafood lovers. Best of all, it's quick, easy, and can be made for just a few dollars if you use a basic recipe.

To make clam dip, you need a can of minced clams, a package of softened cream cheese, two teaspoons of lemon juice, a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a halved garlic clove. At Walmart, a can of minced clams costs about $2.50, and cream cheese costs about $1.50. With garlic and lemons both costing less than a dollar, that means you can make this dip for only about $5. 

Rub the inside of a serving bowl with the garlic to start. Drain the clams of all but a quarter of the liquid, then mix all the ingredients together. Serve chilled, or heated with melted cheese mixed in. You can even take it the extra mile by celebrating San Francisco and serving your clam dip in a bread bowl. This dip is endlessly customizable, as long as you start with the time-tested, simple base.

The final product is salty, distinctively tasty, and filling. When used as a dip for chips or veggies, it goes down like thickened and cheesier clam chowder. If you were brought up with this briny treat, you know that it hits like a creamy comfort food. You should also know that this is hardly a new dip, either, as it was really popular in the '50s.

This old-school party dip that everyone forgot about has roots going back more than half a century. In the 1950s, there was a TV show called "Kraft Music Hall" — yes, that same Kraft you know from mac and cheese fame. The show introduced recipes for several now-popular dips, including the clam dip. Clam dip likely existed in some form before — a similar dish was a favorite treat of former President Woodrow Wilson's second wife, Edith. However, this TV broadcast was the start of what some have dubbed "clam dip madness."

Within 24 hours of the recipe airing, New York City supermarkets were reportedly completely sold out of canned minced clams. Variants of the recipe appeared in print or took accolades in recipe contests. In the 1960s, the popularity of clam dip went in a new direction, as some companies began selling it in pre-made containers. With this added accessibility and continued low cost, clam dip maintained its spot as a party or event staple. It wasn't until salsa gained popularity that clam dip mania began to truly ebb.

While you won't see it as much now, clam dip still thrives in certain regions, such as New England. To this day, big-name chefs, including Alton Brown, promote clam dip as an enjoyable, celebratory dish. Although it likely won't be considered Kraft's best-ranking party dip given how tastes have shifted, it still holds a special place in the hearts of many who grew up with it.