Dinner Party

Nori Sour Cream Dip

by:
August 30, 2018
20 Ratings
Nori Sour Cream Dip
Photo by Rocky Luten
Author Notes

A sour cream dip all the same, but Korean-inflected and with nuance. Instead of Lipton onion soup mix, that deliciously desiccated "maraca-shake of onions rattling in a paper packet," as Amy Thielen once called it, mine calls for a couple packets of those roasted seaweed snacks that I grew up eating, and that have been in vogue among the Trader Joe's generation as of late. It's the secret ingredient in much of my cooking, gives everything a savory note that hits all the pleasure centers of the brain. This dip is salty, creamy, and umami-rich, makes you want to eat vegetables (which I don't do very often). —Eric Kim

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: The One Ingredient That Changed My Sour Cream Dip Game Forever. —The Editors

  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Serves a crowd
Ingredients
  • 1 cup sour cream (one of those 8-ounce containers is fine)
  • 2 packets roasted seaweed snack (about 10 grams total)
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • Assorted raw vegetables, especially crunchy, bitter ones like radishes, radicchio, and endive, cleaned and trimmed
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. In a food processor, blitz the sour cream, roasted seaweed snack, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and sugar until smooth. Taste and adjust for extra seasoning as needed.
  2. Serve the dip in a bowl on a platter bedecked with the raw vegetables, which you should lightly salt (really makes a difference).
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  • Carol Valentine
    Carol Valentine
  • Diomedes
    Diomedes
  • Theresa Busch
    Theresa Busch
  • FrugalCat
    FrugalCat
  • Eric Kim
    Eric Kim
Eric Kim
Eric Kim was the Table for One columnist at Food52. He is currently working on his first cookbook, KOREAN AMERICAN, to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2022. His favorite writers are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, but his hero is Nigella Lawson. You can find his bylines at The New York Times, where he works now as a writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ericjoonho.

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22 Reviews

Carol V.
Carol V. January 12, 2021
I made this with nonfat greek yogurt and wasabi seaweed snacks. So easy and delicious! I'll be adding this to my healthy snack rotation. Thanks!
 
LCMiles
LCMiles January 7, 2020
This was excellent - I made it for a casual summer dinner party a couple of months ago and everyone was thrilled and surprised by how much they liked it. I will absolutely make this again.
 
Darlene
Darlene May 22, 2019
So this was good fresh. But we didn't eat it all and when we tried it 2 days later it became very "fishy". I assume that the seaweed lost most of the umami flavor and resorted to just the brininess.
 
Diomedes
Diomedes December 16, 2018
Made this for a party with half and half wasabi & sweet onion seaweed snacks & served with very quickly pickled carrot, daikon & cucumber chips. I'll be addicted to this snack for a while.
 
Roy C.
Roy C. November 7, 2018
I love to eat fresh vegetables but this dip takes it to a new level. It is addictive; I have made it 6 times since first trying the recipe 3 weeks ago. I prefer to use the Trader Joe's Wasabi flavored seaweed snack to give it an additional kick. One 10-gram package is perfect for a batch.
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. November 7, 2018
Amazing! That makes me very happy. And great idea re: wasabi; gotta try that one myself.
 
Roy C.
Roy C. November 7, 2018
Thanks, Eric! Great recipe!
 
Theresa B.
Theresa B. September 20, 2018
Can this be made in advance?
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 20, 2018
Definitely. I'd make it one or two days in advance, at most.
 
Theresa B.
Theresa B. September 20, 2018
Thanks!
 
MJ
MJ September 13, 2018
What kind of crackers wouldbe best to serve with this dip?
 
Cadi Y.
Cadi Y. September 16, 2018
Rice crackers are really good. And oddly enough, pretzels! Don't knock it till you try it! :)
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 20, 2018
That's a great idea, Cadi! MJ, I like it with Ruffles chips, but any kind of thin cracker (ones with sesame seeds?) would be appropriate here.
 
FrugalCat
FrugalCat September 8, 2018
I am addicted to those seaweed snacks!! I figure it's better for me than just crunching on potato chips or Cheetos. I have already made this (love it!) and yes, I serve it with radishes or celery, but I am also known to take ANOTHER pack of seaweed snacks, spread the dip on a sheet, roll it up and eat it!
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 8, 2018
They are addictive!
 
chana
chana September 7, 2018
I don't have a Trader Joes near me. What is roasted sea weed snack? Can I just buy sheets of Nori? how many should I use?
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 7, 2018
You can order it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Roasted-Seaweed-Snack/dp/B003VG0MYY?tag=food52-20

If you're using regular sheets of nori, those big paper-sized ones, maybe 2 or 3? You may need to adjust for salt and sesame oil (which roasted seaweed snack has).
 
razzy
razzy September 6, 2018
I'd really like to try this, but don't know anything about roasted seaweed snacks. No H Marts where I live nor a Trader Joe's. Could you refer me to an Amazon site where I might order these snacks, please? Thanks.
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 6, 2018
Hi! It's this: https://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Roasted-Seaweed-Snack/dp/B003VG0MYY?tag=food52-20
 
Imogen
Imogen September 2, 2018
Could you please provide an indication of the size of the packets of roasted seaweed snack? I've seen them in many different sizes!
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 2, 2018
Hi Imogen, good point. I'm referring to those individual 5-gram packets, as those are what I usually buy at H Mart. For this recipe then, you'll need about 10 grams total (2 packets).
 
Author Comment
Eric K.
Eric K. September 2, 2018
Hi Imogen, good point. I'm referring to those individual 5-gram packets, as they're what I usually buy at H Mart. For this recipe, then, you'll need about 10 grams total (2 packets).