What Is Ugly Dip? This Florida Appetizer Tastes Better Than It Sounds

If someone passed you a plate of something called ugly dip at a party, you probably wouldn't be super excited to try it. However, the fact this recipe keeps popping up in Florida-based recipe books means it probably tastes far better than the name suggests. Ugly dip isn't one fixed recipe so much as a cold, scoopable mix built around chopped vegetables with oil and vinegar. At first glance, it has a classic pico de gallo vibe; but once olives get involved, it veers away from being a straight-up salsa and takes on a bit of an Italian-vibe in many iterations. Recipes also seem to vary, making it feel like it's the sort of thing you make out of what you have in the house. But regardless of what you put in it, everything ends up chopped and mixed together in the same bowl.

It all comes together in a pretty chaotic way, which might explain the name. Still, once it's done, it's bright and fresh enough that "ugly" feels a bit unfair. If anything, "kind of pretty dip" would suit it better. Some online versions with the same name use cream cheese or mayo, even though they appear to be a different style of dip. The OG Florida-style version sticks to vegetables (tomatoes, green onions, olives, and jalapeños), oil, and a bit of acid, no dairy involved.

​​Ugly dip works well because it has so much going on at once. The vegetables keep it fresh, the olives give it some depth, and the vinegar or banana pepper juice cuts through just enough to keep it interesting and alive. And since it features no dairy, the flavors stay nice and sharp, and they won't go heavy if you make it in advance and keep it in the fridge (which is a plus whether you're a host or a guest). Dips like this seem to always taste better the next day anyway.

A few small choices make a difference when you're putting it together, so if you're using canned corn (as some recipes do), rinse it first. You don't need to be especially precise with the chopping, but keeping everything roughly the same size makes it easier to eat and enjoy. Go easy on the salt too, as the one thing to know about olives is that they usually bring plenty on their own, and you don't want to over season your ugly dip. The dish is meant to be served cold with tortilla chips, but spooning it over tacos would work just as well if you want something a bit different. Think of it like a Mexican-Mediterranean fusion. It may look chaotic and sound random on paper, but it almost definitely tastes better than either suggests.