Shrimp cocktail is a perfectly retro, simply delicious appetizer and I am obsessed.

There’s something about a really well executed shrimp cocktail. Those perfectly plump pink shrimp just begging to be dragged through sauce are so good and remind me of a better more hopeful time. I’ll admit it, I just really, really love shrimp.

Shrimp cocktail (or prawn cocktail as the Brits call it) has run the gamut from the epitome of high-end to jumbo sized Costco shrimp cocktail rings. In any form though, shrimp cocktail is delicious, high-protein, satisfying, and so easy to make.

Shrimp cocktail is making a comeback

Shrimp cocktail seems to be showing up on menus everywhere lately. Mike and I just went to a new buzzy place and surprise, surprise, shrimp cocktail was on the menu.

We ordered it of course and it was amazing and inspired me to do a version at home. It’s like that meme – you want shrimp cocktail? We have shrimp cocktail at home!

What is shrimp cocktail?

Shrimp cocktail is a seafood dish consisting of cooked, shelled shrimp served with either a cocktail or Marie Rose sauce. Yes, there are two kinds of shrimp cocktail! Did you know? Because I did not until I tried some while in Europe.

Double the deliciousness

Most of the shrimp cocktail you get in North America is served with cocktail sauce while the prawn cocktail you get in Europe is served with Marie Rose sauce. Both are delicious and if you’re so inclined, it’s so much fun to do version with both sauces so you can have a little sauce variety and discussion on which sauce you prefer.

How to make shrimp cocktail

Defrost and peel the shrimp – defrost frozen shrimp in cold water. When defrosted, peel, leaving the tails on. Save the shells. Devein the shrimp using a toothpick.
Chill and plump the shrimp – Place the deveined, peeled shrimp into a large bowl and toss with a pinch of salt and baking soda. The salt will season the shrimp and the baking soda helps pump up the texture by raising the pH. A higher pH keeps the shrimp protein from bonding with each other which makes it so they contract less, meaning there’s more space between the molecules. Put the dry brined shrimp in the fridge.
Prep the poaching liquid – Take the reserved shrimp shells and add them to a medium pot. Add 1/2 onion, some celery, some smashed cloves of garlic, and a bay leaf. Simmer for 15-20 minutes then strain out the solids and discard.
Cook the shrimp – Take the shrimp out of the fridge and give them a rinse. Make sure the poaching liquid is at a gentle simmer then add the shrimp and cook until plump and pink.
Chill the cooked shrimp – When the shrimp are cooked, used a slotted spoon to scoop them out in a single onto a plate or rimmed baking sheet. Place the fridge to cool completely.
Make the sauce – While the shrimp are chilling, make the cocktail sauce. Stir together ketchup, chili sauce, lemon sauce, horseradish, and sugar. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Spoon the cocktail sauce into a small bowl.
Serve – place the chilled shrimp on a plate and serve with the cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. Enjoy!

What is shrimp cocktail sauce?

Cocktail sauce, aka seafood sauce, is a sauce cold or room temp sauce intended to be served with chilled seafood. In North America, cocktail sauce is usually comprised of ketchup, chili sauce, and horseradish sauce. Lemon, Worcestershire and Tabasco are also common.

Marie Rose sauce

In Europe, cocktail sauce is typically Marie Rose sauce, a sauce that’s very similar to Thousand Island dressing. It’s pink, like prawns, and has tomatoes, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. A super easy version is simply ketchup and mayo mixed together with Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to taste.

What size shrimp for shrimp cocktail?

If you’re having shrimp cocktail, you want a sizable shrimp, one with a satisfying bite. I like larger shrimp, like 16/20. This number means in one pound of shrimp, you’ll have about 16-20 shrimp. You can go a bit smaller, but I wouldn’t go less than 26/30, which is 26-30 shrimp per pound.

What kind of shrimp for shrimp cocktail

All shrimp are come frozen, even the “fresh” ones you see in the case at Whole Foods or your local Asian supermarket. Shrimp are flash frozen immediately after being caught to preserve them. The shrimp you see in the case has simply been defrosted, so in the case of shrimp cocktail, just go ahead and buy frozen shrimp and defrost it yourself.

How to defrost shrimp

There are two ways to easily defrost shrimp, either overnight or immediately.

Overnight: To defrost shrimp overnight, you can put the frozen shrimp in a bowl and put it in your fridge overnight. The next day, or even in a couple of hours, the shrimp will be defrosted.
Immediately: To defrost shrimp for immediate use, place the frozen shrimp in a large bowl in a clean sink and run extra cold tap water into the bowl, submerging the shrimp completely. Let defrost for about 15 minutes, drain the water and top again with cold water if the shrimp aren’t yet defrosted. The shrimp will defrost quickly, depending on size – you’ll probably only need to soak the shrimp for 15 minutes or so in the bowl of cold water.

How to serve

Classically, shrimp cocktail is first and foremost an appetizer, so it’s usually served as a starter at the beginning of a meal.

I personally think shrimp cocktail is an anytime food though and should be served whenever and whenever you want. Can you imagine a brunch with a shrimp cocktail starter!? Or a giant shrimp cocktail tree at your next holiday party? So good.

How to perfectly cook shrimp

The key to perfectly cooked shrimp is to not overcook it. The cooking time really, really depends on size, so you need to be standing next to the stove. The best way to cook shrimp is to gently bring them up to temperature in an aromatic broth. Once your poaching liquid is gently simmering with the occasional small bubbles rising to the surface, add your shrimp and let them cook without overcooking.

It’s best to go visually instead of by time. Once the shrimp go from grey and translucent to pink and opaque, they’re cooked. The shrimp will go from a loose L shape to a tighter, firm, plump and springy C shape. Once the shrimp are cooked, pull them from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and spread them out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or plate and place them in the fridge.

You don’t want to shock them in water because you’ll wash off all the flavor you infused with the aromatic broth.

Tails or no tails?

Personally, I like the tails. They give you a little handle and some people (like Mike) like eating the tails for the texture and flavor. If you want to serve your shrimp without tails, be sure to set out some cute mini cocktail forks so folks have an elegant way to pick up the shrimp.

How to devein shrimp without splitting

For me, there’s something that’s pretty about shrimp where it’s not split down the back. That being said, a dark vein is not pretty or appetizing so my go to when I’m trying to be fancy, is pulling out the vein with tweezers or using a toothpick to pull it up and through. Using tweezers or a toothpick to get the vein out leaves your shrimp whole and pretty.

To use a toothpick – take the toothpick and insert it into the back of the shrimp in the second joint from the tail. Pull the toothpick up and out and the vein will come up and out. Grab the vein and pull it out.
To use kitchen tweezers – locate the vein from the front of the shrimp. Grab the vein with the tweezers and gently pull it out.

That’s it! Everything you ever wanted and didn’t want to know about shrimp cocktail. I hope you make some for yourself or for the next gathering you head out to – shrimp cocktail is so hot right now!

More fun snacks

xoxo steph