New York City has no shortage of oyster bars. But many of these institutions, says Strange Delight executive chef and partner Ham El-Waylly, can feel “bougie and buttoned-up.” Instead, the goal of the Strange Delight team — which includes Anoop Pillarisetti and Michael Tuiach — was to make their Brooklyn restaurant “feel like a party, like a place you would go [to] be rambunctious, be loud, crush some oysters, have some spinach artichoke dip, and then be on your way.”
According to El-Waylly, who’s also the author of Hello, Home Cooking!, out in March, “entertaining and dips are just the perfect marriage”: The dish can be made in large quantities, in advance, and with relatively little effort — just throw it in the oven until it’s bubbly. As a seafood restaurant, Strange Delight usually has a crab dip on the menu. But in the colder months, the restaurant swaps in a spinach artichoke version as a nod to the dips El-Waylly loved getting at Chili’s and Applebee’s growing up. “The briny, acidic qualities of artichoke play really naturally with crab,” he says, serving the dish with fried saltines. For simplicity at home, El-Waylly recommends brushing saltines with melted butter, dusting them with your favorite spicy seasoning if you’d like, and then baking them in a 375°F oven until they’re crispy and lightly browned.
No matter how you serve it, hope for leftovers. El-Waylly likes to put any extra dip between two pieces of milk bread, followed by a slice of Muenster or another good melter, and then toasting it. “It makes an incredible grilled cheese,” he says.
Strange Delight’s Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
40 grams butter, unsalted
5 grams garlic, minced
20 grams shallots, minced
60 grams fennel, small dice
40 grams Herbsaint
140 grams frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 grams espelette pepper
45 grams cream cheese
70 grams white cheddar, shredded
100 grams artichokes in oil, drained and roughly chopped
60 grams creme fraiche
5 grams lemon juice
8 ounces lump crab meat, picked through for shells
60 grams Parmesan cheese, finely grated
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Step 1: Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot, fennel, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. Add the Herbsaint and cook until the liquid is fully reduced.
Step 2: Add the spinach, espelette, and cream cheese. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Step 3: Transfer mixture to a food processor and process until homogenous and no large chunks remain. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in cheddar, artichokes, creme fraiche, lemon juice, and crab meat. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Step 4: Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish, top with Parmesan cheese, and broil until bubbly and the top is lightly golden brown. Serve alongside your favorite tortilla chips, crackers, or ideally deep-fried saltines.
Haley Hunt Davis is an Atlanta and L.A.-based food, beverage and product photographer. Styled by Ryan Norton, an Atlanta-based food stylist and macaron maker at La Macaron Guy.
