In partnership with Safeway
We’re planning a backyard party for the 4th of July– a chance to gather with friends and family and eat some good food. Of course, that means food that’s been cooked on our Traeger grills in unique and interesting ways. For this year’s party, we wanted to share some seafood-forward dishes throughout the gathering, and will start with two tasty smoked seafood dips. We stopped by our local Safeway store and visited the seafood counter to gather some inspiration. Safeway is having some great sales for the holiday, so we picked up shrimp and lobster and put Smoked Seafood Dips, baked on the Traeger, on the menu.
GREAT INGREDIENTS MAKE GREAT MEALS
Summer holiday gatherings with friends and family is one of the things we look forward to most each year. The weather is nice, the food and drinks are great and the company cannot be beat. We love having people over year-round, but there’s just something special about the summertime. For the 4th of July this year, we have been working on planning our menu, which will feature things all cooked on the Traeger. From appetizers to desserts to drinks, we plan to have each thing served have some wood-fired flavor.
Starting with the appetizers, we wanted to integrate two dishes into our plan that will feature seafood, be easy to serve and adaptable to people’s preferences. There’s nothing better than a hot and melty seafood dip, which can be served with vegetable crudites, crackers and homemade crostini. Guests can eat it how they wish– and they’ll love what you made.
SMOKED CREAM CHEESE AS THE BASE
Smoking cream cheese has become a very popular thing lately. You’ll see several recipes on my website that feature smoked cream cheese as a key ingredient. Check out this one for crab cheese wontons, as an example. We used Safeway’s Lucerne cream cheese blocks.
By unwrapping a block of cream cheese, placing it on parchment paper, scoring it and seasoning it, you are setting yourself up for some great surface area for flavor. I like to season my cream cheese with my Brunch Junkie seasoning, which has flavors of a bloody mary, and then let the cream cheese smoke for about 30 minutes in the Traeger at 225*. This imparts some good wood-fired flavor to the cream cheese, which becomes the base for both dips.
ADDING SMOKED SEAFOOD TO DIPS
We picked up about a pound of shrimp (deveined but shell-on) and two 4oz lobster tails at the Safeway seafood counter. By chatting with the fish monger, we were able to select the right things for these recipes, and decide with him which size shrimp and which lobster tails we wanted to use.
For the shrimp, we used the 16-20 count size, which are big and meaty and full of flavor. Alternatively, you could use tiny shrimp (these ones are 91-100 count per pound) and not chop them after smoking them. Because tiny shrimp often come pre-cooked, you’d simply want to impart some wood-fired flavor in the shrimp before adding them to the dish by smoking them for 15 minutes or so. Either way, you will have great shrimp for your dish.
With the bigger shrimp, we left the shells on (more flavor) and tossed them in a splash of melted butter and a shake of my Brunch Junkie seasoning. Then we put them on a small cookie sheet in the Traeger for about 20 minutes until they were pink and firm and just cooked through. After shelling them, we chopped them up to put in the dip.
For the lobster, we selected two 4oz lobster tails from the fish display. Once we got them home, we used a pair of kitchen shears to cut down the center of the shell and pop the meat out. This is good for two reasons– it allows you to season the actual meat of the lobster tail, and makes for a pretty presentation. I like to use gloves to do this, as the shells can be kind of sharp.
With the meat popped out (and atop) the shells, we gave them a quick seasoning with Brunch Junkie and a coating of butter and placed them in the grill at 375* for about 10 minutes until just cooked through. We then put it in the fridge to cool completely before we removed the meat and chopped it up.
GREAT FLAVORS FOR TWO DIFFERENT DIPS
We decided rather than combine the shrimp and lobster in one dip, to create two different dips that had unique flavor profiles. They had similar base ingredients, but the flavors we mixed in made each very distinct and delicious.
Charleston Style Shrimp
For the shrimp dip, we used green onions, celery, garlic, lemon juice, and hot sauce.
Lobster Roll Style Dip
For the lobster dip, we used red onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon, and paprika.
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Raw shell-on shrimp from the Safeway seafood counter (we used 16-20ct size)
- Lucerne butter
- Lucerne cream cheese
- My Brunch Junkie spice blend from Spiceology
- Signature Farms trimmed celery stalks
- Green onions
- Garlic
- Signature Farms lemons
- Cream style prepared horseradish
- Signature Select Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Raw lobster tails from the Safeway seafood counter
- Red onion
- Lucerne butter
- Lucerne cream cheese
- My Brunch Junkie spice blend from Spiceology
- Garlic
- Signature Farms lemons
- Paprika
- Signature Select crushed red pepper flakes
- Signature Select San Francisco style sourdough baguette
- Signature Farms Persian cucumbers
- Open Nature Garlic and Herb Crackers
- Belgian endive
WHY COOKING THESE SEAFOOD DIPS ON THE TRAEGER WORKS
Smoking the cream cheese is an easy way to integrate some of Traeger’s signature wood-fired flavor into your dish. We bumped it up a bit by also cooking the shrimp and lobster on the grill (the shrimp were smoked) to further tie in the flavor. Finally, by baking the dip on the Traeger before serving, you have used the Traeger for all the cooking steps of this dish, and it’s fun and delicious that way. Additionally, cooking on the Traeger, especially during the summertime, means you don’t have to heat up the kitchen while cooking. We all appreciate keeping the house a little cooler during the hot summer months.
STEP-BY-STEP
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the super smoke feature.
- On a cookie sheet, place two blocks of cream cheese on parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp knife.
- Season the cream cheese on the top and sides with Brunch Junkie seasoning. Place the cream cheese in the grill for about an hour (ideally) or 30 minutes (at minimum). Allow the cream cheese to bathe in the wood-fired flavor.
- While the cream cheese smokes, prepare the seafood.
- Toss the shrimp in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and more Brunch Junkie seasoning. Place the seasoned shrimp on another cookie sheet and place that sheet in the grill also. Smoke the shrimp for about 20 minutes until pink and opaque.
- Using kitchen scissors, cut down the middle of the lobster tail shell and then pop the meat out on top of the shell. Season with Brunch Junkie.
- Pull the shrimp and cream cheese from the grill and allow to cool completely.
- While the shrimp and cream cheese cool, turn the grill temperature up to 375* and place the prepared lobster tail on the grate. Brush or pour melted butter atop the meat. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
- Pull the lobster tail from the grill and refrigerate for 10 minutes until cool to touch.
- Prepare the other ingredients– chop the red and green onions, dice the celery, mince or crush the garlic, etc.
- Remove the shells from the smoked shrimp and then roughly chop the shrimp into ½ inch pieces. Set aside.
- Remove the lobster meat from the shell and roughly chop the meat into ½ inch pieces. Set aside.
- Using two bowls, prepare the dips.
- For the shrimp: combine a block of the smoked cream cheese, chopped celery, diced green onions, lemon juice, garlic, horseradish, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce. Mix well and then fold in the chopped shrimp.
- For the lobster: combine a block of the smoked cream cheese, the chopped red onion, garlic, lemon juice, paprika and red pepper flakes. Mix well and then stir in the chopped lobster meat.
- Transfer each mixture to a grill-proof bowl or casserole dish.
- Place the prepared dips in the grill at 375* and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through and bubbly.
- Garnish with chopped parsley (lobster) and scallion pieces (shrimp).
- Serve with crudites, crostini made from the baguette and crackers.
Shrimp dip ingredients 
Lobster dip ingredients
OTHER RECIPES USING SMOKED CREAM CHEESE
Another idea for using smoked cream cheese is to make a cheese ball, like the one in this recipe. You can also make smoked cream cheese into crab cheese wontons, which are featured here.
GETTING INGREDIENTS AT SAFEWAY MAKES IT EASY
Everything used in this recipe was picked up at my local Safeway store, which made for a really easy and simple process. We stopped into the store and found the seafood we needed, and were able to get these dips cooked up in no time.. You can use the Safeway for U program to get great deals and items selected for you based on your preferences. And the online grocery delivery and pickup service can make your day even easier!
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Smoked Shrimp Dip
Equipment
- Traeger grill
- Cookie sheet
- Garlic press
- Oven-safe baking dish
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- ¾ pound raw shrimp with the shell on
- 1 tbsp butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 6 teaspoons Brunch Junkie seasoning
- ½ cup chopped celery hearts
- ½ cup scallions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 2 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- Scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the super smoke feature
- On a cookie sheet, place two blocks of cream cheese on parchment paper
- Score the top of the cream cheese with a sharp knife
- Season the cream cheese on the top and sides with Brunch Junkie seasoning
- Place the cream cheese in the grill for about an hour (ideally) or 30 minutes (at minimum)
- Allow the cream cheese to bathe in the wood-fired flavor
- While the cream cheese smokes, prepare the shrimp
- Toss the shrimp in 1 tablespoon of melted butter and more Brunch Junkie seasoning
- Place the seasoned shrimp on another cookie sheet and place that sheet in the grill
- Smoke the shrimp for about 20 minutes until pink and opaque
- Pull the shrimp and cream cheese from the grill and allow to cool completely
- Remove the shells from the smoked shrimp and then roughly chop the shrimp into ½ inch pieces. Set aside.
- Prepare the dip:
- Combine a block of the smoked cream cheese, chopped celery, diced green onions, lemon juice, garlic, horseradish, hot sauce and worcestershire sauce. Mix well and then fold in the chopped shrimp.
- Transfer the mixture to a grill-proof bowl or casserole dish.
- Place the prepared dip in the grill at 375* and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through and bubbly.
- Serve with crudites, crostini made from the baguette and crackers.
Smoked Lobster Dip
Equipment
- Traeger grill
- kitchen shears
- Bowl
- Cutting board and knife
- Oven-proof dish
Ingredients
- 2 Raw lobster tails from the Safeway seafood counter 4 oz each
- 1/2 a red onion
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 block cream cheese
- 4 tbsp Brunch Junkie spice blend from Spiceology
- 2 cloves garlic smashed
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger grill to 225* with the super smoke feature.
- On a cookie sheet, place two blocks of cream cheese on parchment paper. Score the top with a sharp knife.
- Season the cream cheese on the top and sides with Brunch Junkie seasoning. Place the cream cheese in the grill for about an hour (ideally) or 30 minutes (at minimum). Allow the cream cheese to bathe in the wood-fired flavor.
- While the cream cheese smokes, prepare the lobster.
- Using kitchen scissors, cut down the middle of the lobster tail shell and then pop the meat out on top of the shell. Season with Brunch Junkie.
- Pull the cream cheese from the grill and allow to cool completely.
- While the cream cheese cools, turn the grill temperature up to 375* and place the prepared lobster tail on the grate. Brush or pour melted butter atop the meat. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes.
- Pull the lobster tail from the grill and refrigerate for 10 minutes until cool to touch.
- Prepare the other ingredients– chop the red and green onions, dice the celery, mince or crush the garlic, etc.
- Remove the lobster meat from the shell and roughly chop the meat into ½ inch pieces. Set aside.
- In a bowl, prepare the dip:
- For the lobster: combine a block of the smoked cream cheese, the chopped red onion, garlic, lemon juice, paprika and red pepper flakes. Mix well and then stir in the chopped lobster meat.
- Transfer the mixture to a grill-proof bowl or casserole dish.
- Place the prepared dip in the grill at 375* and bake for 15-20 minutes until heated through and bubbly.
- Serve with crudites, crostini made from the baguette and crackers.
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