Fresh, plump shrimp served cold with a side of homemade cocktail sauce are a party favorite that takes almost no time at all.
There is a reason shrimp cocktail appetizers are so popular. Delicate shrimp dipped in a tangy, spicy cocktail sauce is heavenly. There are lots of prepared options at the grocery store, but if you really want the best then making it fresh is the only way to go.
Make this recipe, because...
Freshly boiled shrimp are more tender and have a firm texture without being rubbery.
You can add flavor to shrimp by salting the water and adding bay leaves for a nice aroma.
Homemade spicy cocktail sauce is perfectly flavored and can be adjusted for spice.
Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer is the culmination of simple, fresh ingredients prepared well for a delicious and impressive dish.
Ingredients
Ketchup- Ketchup is the perfect tomato base with nice sweetness to counterbalance the spicy horseradish and tangy lemon juice. Many recipes insist on buying Heinz chili sauce. There is so little difference between the chili sauce and ketchup that it is definitely not worth buying an extra condiment, when you likely already have ketchup on hand. Trust me!
Creamed Horseradish- This is a bit more mild than true fresh horseradish. There is some cream, vinegar, and salt added, and it is grated really fine so that it mixes into sauces really easily.
Worcestershire Sauce- This sauce is great for balancing strong flavors. It is a bit sweet and savory with great umami flavor.
Fresh Lemon Juice- Juice from fresh lemons is nice and tart and adds great acidity to the cocktail sauce.
Hot Sauce- A vinegar based hot sauce can add a bit more kick if you need it. It is definitely optional as the horseradish already adds a bit of bite.
Instructions
Step 1
- First, prepare the cocktail sauce by mixing together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and horseradish. Then let it sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Step 2
- Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt to water along with two bay leaves.
- Prepare an ice bath for the cooked shrimp. Don’t wait until you’ve already put the shrimp in the boiling water, because they cook really fast and you want to have them out and chilling as soon as they are finished.
- Then, add fresh peeled and deveined shrimp to the boiling, seasoned water. Let cook until the shrimp are opaque and firm. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
Step 3
- Scoop the cooked shrimp out of the boiling water and drop them into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Leave them in for about 30 seconds, then remove from the ice water and pat dry with a paper towel. Nobody wants a wet shrimp!
- Finally, arrange on a plate and serve with lemon wedges and homemade spicy cocktail sauce.
FAQs
Absolutely, yes! Frozen shrimp are a great option for making fresh shrimp cocktail and are extra easy because they often come cleaned and peeled. The trick is to defrost the frozen shrimp before boiling. You can do this by placing the bag of frozen shrimp in the refrigerator overnight. Drain away any excess liquid before plunging them into the boiling water.
You can keep cooked shrimp in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They need to be put in the fridge two hours after cooking.
However, just because the shrimp is still healthy to eat, doesn’t mean it is going to have prime texture. I would not recommend making a fresh shrimp cocktail any more than a day ahead of when you plan to serve it. On the second and third days, the shrimp starts to lose the plump firm texture and can smell a bit more fishy.
Tips for Success
Do season the boiling water well with salt and bay leaves. This is the one and only chance to add flavor to the shrimp. The salt brings out the natural flavor of the shrimp and bay leaves, when used sparingly, are a light aromatic that is vaguely mint like.
Watch the shrimp closely once you start to cook them. It is difficult to undercook shrimp because they are small and cook very quickly. It is very easy to overcook them. Look for shrimp to turn opaque and firm up. Take them out as soon as they change color.
The ice bath is necessary to stop the cooking quickly. If you were to just drain the shrimp and transfer them hot to the refrigerator, they would continue to cook and then become rubbery.
They only need 30 seconds to one minutes to chill in the ice bath. You want them to get cold, but not take on too much water.
Promptly remove them from the ice water and pat them dry for perfectly plump tender shrimp.
I like to make my cocktail sauce ahead of time, at least 20 minutes prior to serving. You can easily make this up as early as a few days ahead because it can sit in the fridge for up to a week. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
Related Recipes
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil
- Coctel De Camarones (Mexican Shrimp Cocktail)
- Classic Shrimp Scampi
- Shrimp Avocado Mango Corn Salad
Shrimp Cocktail with Spicy Cocktail Sauce
Equipment
- Large pot for boiling
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Jump Shrimp peeled, deveined
- ½ Cup Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Creamed Horseradish
- 2 Lemons juice of 1 Lemon, 1 lemon for garnish
- 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Dashes Hot Sauce optional
- Salt for boiling water
- 2 Bay Leaves for seasoning water
Instructions
- First, prepare the cocktail sauce by mixing together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and horseradish. Then let it sit in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before serving.
- Next, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt to water along with two bay leaves.
- Prepare an ice bath for the cooked shrimp. Don’t wait until you’ve already put the shrimp in the boiling water, because they cook really fast and you want to have them out and chilling as soon as they are finished.
- Then, add fresh peeled and deveined shrimp to the boiling, seasoned water. Let cook until the shrimp are opaque and firm. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Scoop the cooked shrimp out of the boiling water and drop them into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Leave them in for about 30 seconds, then remove from the ice water and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Finally, arrange on a plate and serve with lemon wedges and homemade spicy cocktail sauce.
Notes
- Do season the boiling water well with salt and bay leaves. This is the one and only chance to add flavor to the shrimp. The salt brings out the natural flavor of the shrimp and bay leaves, when used sparingly, are a light aromatic that is vaguely mint like.
- Watch the shrimp closely once you start to cook them. It is difficult to undercook shrimp because they are small and cook very quickly. It is very easy to overcook them. Look for shrimp to turn opaque and firm up. Take them out as soon as they change color.
- The ice bath is necessary to stop the cooking quickly. If you were to just drain the shrimp and transfer them hot to the refrigerator, they would continue to cook and then become rubbery.
- They only need 30 seconds to one minutes to chill in the ice bath. You want them to get cold, but not take on too much water.
- Promptly remove them from the ice water and pat them dry for perfectly plump tender shrimp.
- I like to make my cocktail sauce ahead of time, at least 20 minutes prior to serving. You can easily make this up as early as a few days ahead because it can sit in the fridge for up to a week. The longer it sits, the better it tastes.
Nutrition
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