This shrimp cocktail recipe is a quick and easy appetizer. Succulent pieces of seafood are gently poached to prevent overcooking and then served with a tasty dipping sauce.
Recipe Science
- Poach the shrimp to avoid overcooking. Start at 180°F, as adding cold shrimp lowers the temperature by about 20 degrees.
- After poaching, immerse the shrimp in an ice bath to quickly halt heat transfer, preventing overcooking and preserving texture.
- Cocktail sauce blends tomato paste with vinegar for tanginess, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and horseradish for heat.
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“Your cocktail sauce is awesome! It also goes great with a quick cold salmon appetizer that I often prepare with any leftover salmon.”—Robert H.
Why It Works
Are you seeking a simple and healthy appetizer to share with friends and family? This shrimp cocktail recipe uses a squeeze of lemon juice and a spicy, tangy sauce to add flavor to each serving. The dish is straightforward to prepare with my step-by-step instructions. However, properly cooking the delicate crustaceans prevents tough and rubbery bites.
I poach the shrimp in water to heat the proteins evenly. It only takes a few minutes. The gentle heat preserves the sweet and salty flavor, and immediately chilling them in an ice bath halts the cooking process. Whisk together a homemade cocktail sauce and have a gourmet appetizer that will disappear quickly!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp: A two-bite size is ideal. Look for a 16-20 count raw shrimp at the seafood counter of your local market. Otherwise, if buying frozen, look for packages labeled extra jumbo. The count is how many pieces you will get per pound.
- Ice Bath: This stops the shrimp from cooking after poaching.
- Salt: Seasons the poaching liquid with a savory element to enhance the flavor of the shrimp.
- Herbs: Bay leaf is added to the poaching liquid to add an aromatic herbaceous eucalyptus taste.
- Cocktail Sauce: A tomato-based sauce combined with bold ingredients to add depth and a little heat. I use concentrated tomato paste that I dilute with water and apple cider vinegar. The heat comes from Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and creamy horseradish sauce. It’s seasoned with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, and zest.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This shrimp cocktail recipe is easy to customize! Try these delicious options:
- Shrimp Options: I typically use brown shrimp. They have a slight mineral taste and turn bright pink when cooked. Alternatively, white shrimp have a slightly sweeter flavor. You can also buy them pre-cooked, but rinse and dry them before serving.
- Elevate the Poaching Liquid: Add white wine, thyme, rosemary sprigs, and black peppercorn to flavor the cooking water.
- Other Ways to Cook the Shrimp: For more flavor on the surface of the seafood, cook the shrimp on the stovetop or make grilled shrimp.
- Use Ketchup: Instead of tomato paste and water, use ketchup as the base for the shrimp cocktail sauce.
How to Make Shrimp Cocktail
Step 1: Defrost the Shrimp
If using store-bought frozen shrimp, place the pieces in a colander and run them under cool water until no longer solid, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can defrost them inside the refrigerator for about 24 hours before cooking.
Step 2: Peel and Devein
To peel and devein the shrimp, use kitchen shears to cut through the shell, then use a paring knife to cut a shallow line down the back and remove the dark digestive tract. This technique also gives a butterflied appearance once cooked. Remove the shell, but leave the tail end intact, making it easier to grab and dip.
Step 3: Poach the Shrimp
I use a poaching submersion technique to cover the shrimp in seasoned water with salt, lemon zest, and bay leaves. Once the appearance turns translucent to opaque, and the thickest part reaches 140ºF (60ºC), they’re done cooking.
Tips for Perfect Execution: To prevent overcooking, poaching uses mild heat at 160 to 180°F (71 to 82ºC). There should barely be any bubbles forming on the surface of the liquid. I heat to the higher end because the cold shrimp brings the temperature down about 20 degrees.
Step 4: Add Shrimp to the Ice Bath
Fill a large bowl with equal parts cold water and ice. After poaching, shock the shrimp in an ice water bath for 5 minutes to halt the cooking process immediately.
If the pieces continue to curl into a tight “O” shape, the texture will get too tough, so you want to stop any more heat transfer quickly. This appetizer is usually served cool, which also helps to chill the pieces immediately.
Step 5: Make the Cocktail Sauce
Just whisk tomato paste, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and vinegar.
Adjust the seasonings and heat level to your liking. The sauce can be made 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Step 6: How to Serve Shrimp Cocktail
- I recommend placing the cooked shrimp on top of crushed ice in a larger shallow bowl for a larger party. It’s an elegant presentation, but it keeps everything chilled and safer to eat if left at room temperature for over an hour.
- If eating right away, you can lay them out on a serving platter on top of large lettuce leaves like romaine, butterhead, or little gem with a small bowl of sauce.
- Add cocktail sauce into large or small cups (like a margarita glass with a wide rim or martini glass) and hang the tails over the edge. This works great for individual portions.
- Serve with freshly sliced lemon wedges or lime juice squeezed on top. The acidity brings out the shrimp’s sweet flavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
A shrimp cocktail is made with cooked shrimp. The shrimp are typically poached to a perfect tenderness and chilled before serving with a flavorful cocktail sauce. It’s important to fully cook the shrimp for both safety and the best texture.
Steaming is an excellent option for shrimp cocktails because it cooks the shrimp more gently, helping them stay tender and juicy while keeping their natural sweetness. Boiling can sometimes make shrimp a little waterlogged, lose its flavor, or overcook it if not monitored closely.
The shrimp’s muscle structure is similar to that of lobster, resulting in a more substantial chew than flaky fish. Due to their small size, the proteins bind tightly together in a matter of minutes. Look for a slight “C” curled shape and opaque appearance. Some varieties will turn pink due to the natural pigment called astaxanthin being released at 120ºF (49ºC). They’re ready at 140ºF (60ºC).
More Appetizer Recipes
If you tried this Shrimp Cocktail Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 2 pounds shrimp, 16/20 count
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 12 cups cold water, divided
- 4 cups ice
- 2 pieces lemon peel, 2" long
- 2 bay leaves
Cocktail Sauce
- ½ cup tomato paste
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 teaspoons honey, or maple syrup
- 4 teaspoons creamy horseradish
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Defrost the Shrimp – If using frozen shrimp, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, about 24 hours. For quick defrosting, place them in a colander and run cold water over them until they are no longer icy, about 10 minutes.
- Peel and Devein – Use kitchen shears to cut through the top of the shell. Remove the shell but leave the tail on. Use a paring knife to cut a shallow line down the back and remove the dark digestive tract. In a colander, wash and then drain.
- Poach the Shrimp – In a large pot or Dutch oven, add 8 cups of water, salt, lemon peel, and bay leaves. Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the salt. Heat until the surface is just beginning to move but not bubbling. The temperature should be about 180°F (82ºC), about 10 minutes.Add the shrimp to the pot, stir, and cook until opaque, loosely curled, and the thickest part reaches 140ºF (60ºC), about 2 ½ to 3 ½ minutes.
- Add Shrimp to the Ice Bath – In a large bowl, add 4 cups of cold water and 4 cups of ice. Immediately transfer the shrimp to the ice water bath. Chill until cool, about 5 minutes. Drain using a colander.
- Make the Cocktail Sauce – In a medium bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a bowl for serving.
- To Serve – Place the cooked shrimp on top of a bowl of ice or a serving platter (no ice if eaten immediately). Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with a bowl of cocktail sauce.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Serving Size: 1 shrimp plus about 1 teaspoon sauce
- Cocktail Sauce Yield: About 1 cup
- Make ahead: Cooked shrimp can be and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day in advance. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Robert H. says
Jessica, your cocktail sauce is awesome! It also goes great with a quick cold salmon appetizer, that I often prepare with any leftover salmon.
In exchange for your tasty sauce recipe, I’d like to share my go-to method for a guaranteed” icy-cold” shrimp cocktail serving.
After chilling and draining the shrimp, I line the bottom of a chosen serving tray with ice cubes and place plastic wrap on top of the ice. Then, I wedge a small ramekin filled with the cocktail sauce, in the center of the ice and removing a few cubes to fit the ramekin. The prepared shrimp is neatly placed over the top of the ice and around the ramekin. Cover the tray with additional plastic wrap and set the tray in the refrigerator, for at least 1 hour, to firm the shrimp and chill the sauce. When ready to serve, just remove the top plastic wrap and you’ve got a prepared shrimp cocktail serving that stays icy-cold, until it’s completely devoured.
Jessica Gavin says
Great shrimp serving tips, Robert! I do love how chilly there are when you go to fancy seafood restaurants. I will try this for the holidays!