Classic Shrimp Cocktail is easy to make, gone in a flash | King
Classic Shrimp Cocktail is ready in minutes and always a crowd pleaser, making it the perfect make-ahead appetizer for your any gathering. It combines succulent boiled shrimp with a spicy tomato-based sauce for the ultimate blending of flavors.
I’ve been making this shrimp cocktail for as long as I can remember. Sometimes for dinner parties, I serve it as a sit-down first course. Other times, I put it on the counter along with other appetizers before the meal.
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Regardless of how I serve it, the shrimp cocktail disappears in minutes!
The best shrimp to use
I always use fresh head-on shrimp from the local fish market because these tend to be the freshest.
The only way that I know of to determine the freshness of shrimp is by the shell and the vein. If the shrimp is fresh, its shell is brittle and easy to remove. As the shrimp ages, the shell becomes soft. For the vein, if the shrimp is fresh, the vein can be easily pulled out. As the shrimp ages, the vein starts to disintegrate making it more difficult to remove.
The size of shrimp that I buy really depends on what looks the freshest.
For this recipe, I used 10 to 15 count shrimp (10 to 15 shrimp per pound) because they looked the best.
They were amazing. In fact, my husband kept commenting on how good the shrimp were!
Because I use head-on shrimp, they needed to be cleaned and deveined. This is somewhat of a gross process. In fact, anyone who says that shrimp don’t need to be deveined has never actually deveined them!
For the shrimp cocktail, I usually leave the tails on the shrimp for two reasons. First, it’s easy to grab the shrimp by the tail for dipping into the cocktail sauce and eating. Second, for this dish, I personally like the appearance of the shrimp with the tails left intact. You can certainly remove the tails if you wish.
However you serve it, the Classic Shrimp Cocktail always brings high praise.
Classic Shrimp Cocktail
Serves 4
Ingredients
Cocktail Sauce
12-ounce bottle of chili sauce
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Shrimp
2 pounds large head-on shrimp (10 to 15 count or 16 to 20 count)
1½ quarts water
1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
1 stalk celery, cut into pieces
1 lemon, cut in half
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon Tabasco or hot sauce
Directions
Cocktail Sauce
Whisk together chili sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and pepper. Season with more horseradish if a hotter sauce is desired. Refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: 1½ cups.
Shrimp
Remove shrimp heads and shells, leaving tails intact; devein.
Add onion, celery, lemon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, paprika and hot sauce to water. Bring boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Return water to a boil. Add shrimp and return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and cover in ice water to cool completely. Rinse well with cold water and drain. Pat shrimp dry with paper towel; refrigerate until ready to use.
Serve with cocktail sauce.
Yield: Serves 4.
Chula's Tips
I’m fortunate to live along the Gulf Coast, where fresh shrimp is always available. However, if you’re not so fortunate, you can use frozen shrimp that have been thawed.
Homemade cocktail sauce is significantly better than store-bought cocktail sauce and is so easy to make. Also, you can vary the taste by adding more or less horseradish.
Chili sauce is similar to ketchup but is spicier. In a pinch, you could use ketchup.
Prepared horseradish is not the same as creamy horseradish or horseradish sauce. Prepared horseradish which is grated horseradish in vinegar is found in the cold food section of a grocery store. Don’t be tempted to use creamy horseradish or horseradish sauce for the cocktail sauce.
The 10 to 15 count shrimp is preferable if you’re going to serve individual servings in a wine glass. Either the 10 to 15 count or 16 to 20 count works fine if serving the shrimp in a bowl with the cocktail sauce on the side.
Even though you can purchase shrimp boil to use when making boiled shrimp, I prefer to use my own flavorings. However, this is a personal preference. Whatever you use for flavorings, just be sure not to overcook the shrimp.
Chula King is the blogger behind PudgeFactor.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Classic Shrimp Cocktail: A crowd pleaser that's ready in minutes
