Asking for a guide to Southern dips, well, that is like asking for an entire cookbook. After all, the South isn't a small area. Numerous states make up the South, and there are sub regions within those states.

I know that within my own state, Alabama, the favorite dips from the northern end would not be the same as those here on what we in Mobile refer to as "The Glorious Gulf Coast". No, when it comes to cooking, it seems more like that the areas from Pensacola, Florida to New Orleans are my state than my own state of Alabama.

There is a simple reason for this phenomenon. Seafood. Wonderful, delightful, seafood. Fish Shrimp. Crabmeat. Oysters. Well, I'm not too fond of oysters myself, but some people are, so we'll include them too. But the shrimp and crabmeat, oh my! We cook many delightful meals with our seafood. And of course, we make some wonderful dips.

Every cook on the Gulf Coast has their own secret crab or shrimp or combination crab-shrimp dip recipe. Actually, every cook on the Gulf Coast has their own secret recipe of everything, so it's just that dips are no exception. These women guard their recipes like they do the secret of their true age!

There is, however, a dip which I believe all civilized people of the South would agree is the dip for all formal occasions: Crabmeat Mornay. I know those who live inland even agree on this fact. A basic recipe for Crabmeat Mornay is as follows:

1 stick butter (do not use margarine, not if you're trying to duplicate a Southern recipe!)
4-5 green onions, chopped
cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoon flour
1 pt. half and half
lb Swiss cheese, grated
1 Tbsp sherry
Red pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 lb fresh lump crabmeat

Melt butter in heavy pot, sautee onions and parsley. Blend flour, half and half, and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Add other ingredients and gently fold in crabmeat. Serve in chafing dish with Melba toast rounds.

Other popular dips are Dill Dip, Bacon - Shrimp Dip, Shrimp with Anything You Want Dip, (Literally, I've had it with just about everything!), and a variety of hot and spicy dips. Most of the spicy dips are done with Cajun spices rather than Mexican spices. Salmon Dip with Cajun spice is very popular here in Mobile.

Again, this is the Coast. While the Crab Mornay is universally Southern, I can not vouch for the rest. The area is just too big. When I went to Charleston I was shocked to find out they didn't even make their red beans the same way we do. Go figure.

Learn more about this author, Leslie Ann Campbell.
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