Soften cream cheese, season with black pepper, and blend with an equal amount of drained, mashed smoked oysters. Add about a tablespoon of oil from the can to kick up the smokiness. Diced green onions and/or mild chilies and black olives are a nice touch. Flavor with a smidgen of horseradish, lemon juice, and cayenne; no salt! Blend until smooth and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. For a dip, thin with mayo.
My good friend always made this and served it with prosecco before we would head out for an evening in Memphis. That was probably 25-30 years ago. He died two years ago. Driving home from work the other night this memory popped into my head. Weird.