Cruisers love any excuse for a get-together with friends! And holidays are even better, because they give a theme for the food. But what do you do for St. Patrick’s Day, when the only corned beef you can find is in a can?
That was our dilemma in the Sea of Cortez. While some members of Club Cruceros de La Paz corned their own for a club dinner (and directions for doing this are in The Boat Galley Cookbook – it was missed in the index but follows New England Boiled Dinner, aka Corned Beer and Cabbage, page 270), I opted for an easier solution for a cocktail party aboard.
I could find canned corn beef almost everywhere, and this is a wonderful dip even for other occasions. For St. Patrick’s Day, serve with green beer, green ginger ale or green Sprite by adding a few drops of green food coloring to your favorite beverage (the lightest colored drinks will pick up the green color best; dark beer won’t look green). Serve the drinks in clear glasses for the best effect.
- 1 can corned beef
- 2 to 4 cups total of mayonnaise and/or sour cream (Miracle Whip is not as satisfactory, but can be used)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons finely minced onion OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Mash up the corned beef in a bowl. Add other ingredients and mix well.
- This can be made up ahead of time and refrigerated until serving time — in fact, I like it better if it’s had a chance for the flavors to blend.
- Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or chunks of bread (you may need to thin it slightly with milk to make it “scoopable” with bread). For a special presentation, serve it in a bread bowl — it’s particularly good with rye bread.
by Carolyn Shearlock and Jan Irons
The one comprehensive galley reference needed aboard every boat
These sounds so easy .. and good! Thanks for another great recipe!
That’s a great dip idea Carolyn! I make a similar one, but I use Liver Sausage and mayonnaise and spices and dried parsley…
Dave would love that! Have to admit, I’m not a big liver fan, but he is!
Here it is the other way around…Rick doesn’t care much for liver sausage, but I like it!