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Learn how to make shrimp cocktails and impress your guests! It’s not as hard seems, and it will cost you FAR less than buying it pre-made!
Save Money! Make it on Your Own
A good price for decent cocktail shrimp is upwards of $12 to $15 per pound. And 1 pound of shrimp doesn’t go very far when you are entertaining a lot of people. Well, I have a secret for you — it doesn’t HAVE to be that expensive. You can make your shrimp cocktail for literally HALF the cost AND it tastes way better because you are making it fresh. You don’t get weird-smelling, rubbery, 3-day-old shrimp that has been sitting in the store’s refrigerated deli counter. Trust me, you are going to be impressed with how good this tastes and how cheap and easy it is to make! No one will have to know you spent as much on the shrimp as others may have spent on chips and dip. Let’s keep it our little secret!
Fresh, Raw Shrimp is Best
Before we get started, here’s a little tip for you: the “fresh” shrimp that you see in your store’s meat department isn’t really fresh. OK, maybe the exception being if you live in Alaska or Maine and it was fresh caught that morning. But for the rest of us, the shrimp we see behind the glass case at the seafood counter was frozen and has just been thawed out. It wasn’t freshly caught that day, or the day before, or probably even in the last week.
If you want to eat shrimp that actually tastes fresh, cut out a step and ask for it frozen. If you want it to taste even better, ask for the “wild caught” shrimp that is unpeeled, raw, and preferably de-veined (unless you don’t mind having to devein the shrimp yourself). I have found shrimp like this on sale for $5 a pound. You can take it home and keep it frozen until you want to use it (if you get it thawed from behind the counter and freeze it, you will be freezing it for a second time and it won’t taste as good).
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Want to save even more cash? Make your own homemade cocktail sauce too (with stuff I bet you have in your fridge right now)! I have provided the recipe below and it is delish! You’ll never buy the bottled stuff again.
How to Present Shrimp Cocktail
A shrimp cocktail lends itself to being a great party food, because it is just such a pretty appetizer to present. It is also easy to garnish. Usually, just some parsley and fresh lemon wedges will do the trick. Here are a few more presentation ideas, depending on what you are going for:
- Party style (on a platter) – This is how we present the cocktail shrimp in the recipe below. If you think the shrimp might be sitting out at room temperature for a while, it is a good idea to present the shrimp on a bed of ice cubes either on a platter or a shallow serving bowl. Make sure to have a bowl of lemon wedges on the side or you can place it on the platter with the shrimp. Also, it’s better to have too many lemon wedges than not enough.
- Individual servings – For this presentation, you are aiming for single servings with everything in one little cup or glass. I like to put a spoonful of cocktail sauce in the bottom of the cup or glass, then hang the shrimp over the rim. Depending on your serving vessel, you can decide how many shrimp to include. If you are using a shot glass, you will probably only be able to fit one shrimp. If you are using a cocktail glass, you can likely fit 3-4 shrimp over the rim. Garnish each with a lemon wedge and parsley.
- Ceviche style – For this style, I usually like to use the smaller shrimp but you can use medium-sized shrimp and pull the tails off and cut them in half or thirds. Place the shrimp in a large bowl with chopped fresh tomatoes, red onion, avocado, jalapeño, chopped cilantro, a dash of hot sauce, a little kosher salt and black pepper, and toss with lime juice. You can even add chopped cucumber or celery. Serve in a large serving dish or portion into individual serving cups. I like to serve this style with tortilla chips, but that is totally optional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Frozen (pre-cooked) shrimp is rich in flavor with the same great texture. Be sure to thaw them before serving them.
Use a small knife or a deveining tool to make a small cut along the back of the shrimp shell. A dark vein will slowly be removed and come out.
Leftover shrimp cocktail sauce can stay in the fridge for two days.
Cooking shrimp does not take long. Overcooking the shrimp will give the shrimp a rubbery outside texture. Once the shrimp turn pink and opaque, transfer them to an ice bath. The ice bath will stop the cooking process and keep them chilled.
More Shrimp Appetizers for a Party
Looking for more tasty shrimp recipes to serve at a party? Check out these other mouthwatering shrimp appetizers:
Shrimp Taco Bites
Shrimp Spring Rolls
Cream Cheese Shrimp Dip
Shrimp Tempura Rolls
Bang Bang Shrimp
Cajun Butter Shrimp
How to Make a Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 quarts water or broth
- 1 onion chopped into quarters
- 10 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 lemon halved
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- sea salt to taste
- 1 pound shrimp raw, shell-on, de-viened and rinsed
Cocktail Sauce:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 lemon zested and juiced (about 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
- 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
Instructions
- Put water or broth in a large stock pot. Add onion, garlic, lemon (lightly squeeze lemon into the water and then throw the entire lemon halves into the water as well), thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes before adding shrimp.
- Add shrimp and simmer for about 2-3 minutes (depending on the size of the shrimp) or until the shrimp curls up and turns pink and is no longer transparent.
- Quickly drain (discarding everything but the shrimp) and place the shrimp in a bowl of ice to cool quickly and to halt cooking.
- Peel the shrimp (leaving the tail on if desired) and serve. If not serving immediately, refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Cocktail Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.
I agree! If you can’t find fresh shrimp, use frozen. Tastier and probably less risky! Your cocktail sauce recipe sounds delicious!
I love shrimp cocktail! Looks so good and perfect for parties ♥
I’m with you, frozen is better! I’ve got to try your recipe, it looks delicious & easy
I love the sauce. It’s so easy and goes really well with the shrimps.
One time when I was trying to get shrimp at the meat counter, they were out of what I wanted, and the guy told me that the shrimp they put out is just from the package out of the freezer, anyway, and that I could buy the same stuff in the freezer section. I’ll never go to the counter again.
Right? I don’t get why the thaw it out for you. I would SO much rather have it frozen and thaw it myself than have it sitting out and thawing behind glass all day.