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.
Creamy Corned Beef Dip
Ingredients
- 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
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
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Mid-Life Cruising! says
These sounds so easy .. and good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Sue Klumb on Facebook says
That’s a great dip idea Carolyn! I make a similar one, but I use Liver Sausage and mayonnaise and spices and dried parsley…
The Boat Galley on Facebook says
Dave would love that! Have to admit, I’m not a big liver fan, but he is!
Sue Klumb on Facebook says
Here it is the other way around…Rick doesn’t care much for liver sausage, but I like it!
Maggie Hale says
So glad you color your beer green too! I had the green food coloring on board Sunday’s Child when we were cruising over st. Paddys day.
Janelle says
YUM! What a great idea to use up corned beef!
Dave Skolnick (S/V Auspicious) says
I think I would sear the corned beef a bit before letting it cool and adding the sour cream. The idea is brilliant and I’ll try it the next time Janet is out of town. Corned beef is comfort food for me, but she thinks it resembles cat food. *sigh*
Anonymous says
sounds good!
Anonymous says
🙂 sounds appetizing and it looks simple to make! We are in BHK right now and will be on St.Patrics Day too. Do you happen know if they normally have anything going on then?
The Boat Galley says
Overseas always has a big party!
Anonymous says
How large is a can of corned beef? 4 cups of mayo sounds like a lot to me, unless the can is pretty large
The Boat Galley says
Well, it’s a mayo-based dip. I tend to go more towards the 2 cups of mayo, but I’ll add more if there are unexpected guests and I need to stretch it.
Karen. Bowen says
I have found that Miracle Whip can be substituted for mayo if you add white vinegar to it. It gives the Miracle Whip that zing it is missing for some recipes. No formula, I just do it by taste.