Why chip charcuteries are the new loaded nachos (and how to make them)

Whether you’re calling it chip-cuterie or crisp-cuterie, the humble potato chip has undergone a global glow-up. This high-low snack trend is a social media hit, transforming the tuck-shop staple into a sophisticated vessel for gourmet toppings – or even a full-blown meal.

What is it and what’s all the fuss?

While the “walking taco” trend was all about ripping open a bag of corn chips and piling in the toppings, chip-cuterie demands a little more finesse.

The simple premise is to take your crisps (usually potato, but the choice is yours), pile them onto a platter, then top them with everything you’d expect on a high-end charcuterie platter. We’ve clocked versions with everything from dollops of soft brie and quince paste, to anchovies and olives, or jamon and pickled chillies.

“It’s just kind of playful and fun,” says chef Scott McCommas-Williams, culinary director at Sydney’s Love Tilly Group where they have a few different versions on their menus at both Letra House and Love, Tilly Divine. He attributes the current virality of the dish to its simplicity, while delivering “more than the sum of its parts”.

“It doesn’t have to be hard work to make it delicious.” 

Chef Howard Stamp agrees. “It’s just very easy to do,” says the owner of Bar Thyme in Melbourne’s Footscray, where they’ve had a mussels escabeche and guindilla chilli version as a secret menu item since summer. “It just takes a couple of really nice, good-quality things, and you can have a fancy snack. It doesn’t have to be hard work to make it delicious.”

Why does it work?

Apart from being easy, both chefs agree there are no rules, which means there’s no judgment and plenty of customisation options. “You can really do anything you like,” says Stamp.

Well-known Sydney chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan says this extends to changing the flavour of the crisps.

“You can just go for what you like,” says Mangan. At Harper Rooftop Bar, in Sydney’s CBD, the chef offers a choice of “loaded” crisp flavours (including smoked tomato, dill pickle and chicken salt) – and sees the trend as an evolution of loaded fries.

If you’re DIYing, the crisps help to pad out more expensive items such as cheeses and charcuterie, easing cost-of-living pressures, while the salty crunch and variation of umami-rich toppings such as seafood or jamon make it a textural sensation.

The social media trend can be roughly traced back to content creator and cookbook author Marissa Mullen (@thatcheeseplate) and her “chippetizer” creations of 2022 spiking again in mid-2025. But the dish also has international context, with McComas-Williams drawing his inspiration from time spent in Barcelona bars such as Morro Fi circa 2015.

“We’d just get stuck into some mussels with chips and whatever they were doing that day.”

How to nail it

For all three chefs, restraint is key, with a couple of ingredients finishing the crisps rather than crowding them out.

“Use the best produce you can get your hands on,” says Stamp, who uses Cuca mussels and Spanish pickled guindilla chillies. “It always shines through.”

Crunch factor is also important. McCommas-Williams serves house crisps or Bonilla a la Vista Spanish crisps, and Mangan and Stamp use Chappy’s Chips, created by Melbourne chef Harry Stephens.

“Always add your wet ingredients at the end,” says Mangan, “because no one loves soggy chips.”

As with so many viral food trends, the idea is already evolving. Variations include melted or grilled cheese toppings, or sugary sweets in the salty mix. The only question is … which flavour of crisps?

Smoked salmon, pickles and creme fraiche crisp-cuterie stack

Tap into the chip-cuterie trend with this crunchy twist on the classic smoked salmon blini. It swaps the traditional pancake for a salty, kettle-cooked crisp, making it the ultimate effortless party bite. Pair it with a glass of bubbles or a chilled dry white vermouth for the perfect “aperitivo hour” vibe.

I’ve gone with dill pickle chips and smoked salmon, but feel free to play around with the base and toppings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp pickling brine
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup creme fraiche
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, leaves picked
• 175g bag lime and black pepper crisps (or flavour of choice)
• 100g smoked salmon, flaked into small pieces
• ¼ cup cornichons, finely sliced (or use baby capers)
• black pepper

METHOD

1. Mix the pickling brine and lemon juice with the creme fraiche, 1 tablespoon of the dill leaves and ½ teaspoon of lemon zest.
2. Pile the chips onto a serving platter and scatter over the smoked salmon flakes. Dollop and dot the creme fraiche dressing over the chips.
3. Scatter the platter with the sliced cornichons and finish with the remaining lemon zest and dill and a good crack of black pepper.