I only had one can of tiny shrimp so I split the recipe in half and made it anyway. It's chillin' and firming up right now. I don't think I'll be able to wait all night for it though. I can see how someone had a bit of a difficult time with the gelatin. It needs to be stated more clearly about it's desolving and that it's alright to add a bit more water if necessary. I nearly had the same issue but just added a bit more water and it worked out just fine. I got a little heavy handed with my pepper so be cautious folks. I'm only going to wait another hour as that's all I'll be able to manage before digging into it. Just from tasting it, I know it's going to be fantastic! This will be a great addition to my party dips. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I love how creamy and delicious it is. It's perfect for any occasion, from football games to holiday parties. I always get asked for the recipe when I serve it. Thank you for sharing this amazing dish!

My recipe is similar. I use tomato soup and put cheese on stove on low and watch it. Then I sprinkle gelatin on top mixture and when its soft enough I take my hand mixer until there are no lumps then I mashed the shrimps and add to the cheese mixture then pour in your dish. And if you want to take it out grease with a bit of mayo to rub the dish there should be no lumps. It freezes well if need be!

I've been using this recipe for several years (thank you!) and it's awesome!
- don't need the gelatin! (just use a quality mayo and not thin salad dressing!)
- honestly, those little cans of shrimp are yuk! Either use fresh sweet bay shrimp or chop up some 20-30 shrimp.
- goes best with torn up chunks of crusty bread! ;-)
- it's become part of our holiday dinners and my office staff rave and demand it every event, ha!

I made this dip for a party of about 20 people, It was hardly touched. Also no one asked me for the recipe. I will not make this dip again.

The BEST dip EVER!!!! I use fresh shrimp meat instead of the canned... WOW what are difference. I also do not use the gelatin. With the soup and cream cheese the dip firms up great. Happy Dipping!!

All growing up, our neighbors would bring by this amazing shrimp dip with crackers as their Christmas gifts for people in the neighborhood. Every year it was always our favorite thing to get, and as soon as we saw their van in the driveway it was a race to who could answer the door and get the first bite. I'm married now, and while back at home these neighbors stopped by and I figured I would finally ask for the recipe. It was this one! This is such a wonderful dish. Others mentioned that they didn't like the gelatin, but I feel like if it's mixed in correctly it gives the dish a certain sort of texture that I feel is necessary. Sure it tastes good without it, but it's even better with! To each his own I suppose. :) TRY THIS DISH.

Makes a lot. Using for Christmas eve! Thank you!!!

Ok... wasn't sure when I saw this recipe, but am open to new things. WOW!!!! Never judge a book as they say. This is terrific! I used the original recipe and my guests loved it. Thanks for sharing.

I have never reviewed a recipe before but this was excellent.
I hate when people do this but I did add a couple of things that made it even better. I added 1/4 cup shrimp cocktail sauce and 1/2 tsp bay seasoning. I didn't have enough shrimp so I also diced up crab meat. It was wonderful on cocktail bread with a slice of cucumbers and a piece of crab meat. It makes a fairly large quantity. Getting tired of spinach dip served with bread so I used this with small pieces of heavier oat bread.As you predicted everyone did request the recipe. Even my husband who isn't fond of seafood thought this was delicious. Thank you for posting my new favorite recipe.

The dip is absolutely amazing. I will definitely make it again. However, I don't think the Knox Gelatin is necessary. All it did was clump up and leave big, rubbery bites in the dip. And if you find bite down on one of those, you aren't going to take another bite. Maybe if it was more diluted that wouldn't have happened. When the cream cheese firms back up, it is sufficiently thick and creamy. Definitely try it, just nix the Knox!

If your gelatin clumped up it probably wasn't dissolved properly/thoroughly. You have to be very careful and thorough with gelatin as this result is indeed not appetizing.That said, traditional shrimp spreads call for gelatin. I personally wouldn't skip it but you surely can if you prefer.