Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as an entrée
Shrimp cocktail is a classic appetizer that never goes out of style. It’s a simple yet elegant dish that’s perfect for entertaining guests, but also easy enough to make for a quick and satisfying snack. Whether you prefer your shrimp cocktail served cold or warm with a tangy cocktail sauce, it is just delicious. In this post, we’ll explore our family’s recipe for shrimp cocktail and tips for selecting and preparing shrimp to get the best results at home.
Note: This recipe can be scaled up or down to suit the number of servings desired.
Equipment
Seafood or kitchen shears (we like these)
A large pot
Slotted spoon
Colander
Ingredients
1 pound of frozen shrimp, preferably wild caught (we used U-12 shrimp in this instance, but we also like to use U-15 or 16/20s)
Water
1/2 a lemon
1 to 2 dried bay leaves
A handful of whole black peppercorns
To Serve
Cocktail sauce. We like this one from Schlotterbeck & Foss.
Method
- Defrost your shrimp in a bowl of cold water. Once defrosted, use your shears or your preferred combination of tools from the above list to cut along the center back of the shrimp shell, leaving the shells on and intact, and devein them.
Note: leaving the shells on maintains flavor - Fill your large pot three-quarters of the way full with water from the tap. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the water and then add the lemon half to the pot. At this time, also add your bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring everything to a boil.
- To the boiling water, add the deveined shrimp. Keeping an eye on the shrimp, wait for them to turn pink and curl into a C-shape. Using your slotted spoon, you can remove the shrimp one by one if some shrimp are reaching the point of doneness before others. Otherwise, turn off the heat, place your colander in the sink, and dump the shrimp from the large pot into your colander.
- Quickly and briefly place the shrimp under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
- Prepare your shrimp for serving. If you intend to enjoy the shrimp straight away, you can plate them as they are, or you could take care to remove the shrimp shells entirely or elect to leave on only the tail shell. If you intend to serve the shrimp chilled, you could shell the shrimp at this point or after they have been chilled. After the shrimp have cooled, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you intend to serve them.
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