Shrimp Cocktail

While it may seem old-fashioned, shrimp cocktail has remained a party app staple for a reason. You might be tempted to buy store-bought, but trust me—making it homemade makes all the difference. Ready in under an hour, this shrimp appetizer is so easy to prepare, making it a perfect last-minute appetizer for any party you want to add some fancy flare to. With our homemade sauce and perfectly prepared shrimp, this is the app that will take your holiday dinner from good to great—here’s how to perfect it:

What People Are Saying:
“Fabulous and easy. Shrimp were cooked perfectly and well seasoned. I’ve been making shrimp cocktail for 25 years, and this method produced the best results. Everyone loved the shrimp and the sauce, which I served to a critical group :)” - all2303

How To Make Shrimp Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• Shrimp: This recipe is written for raw, thawed shrimp, but you can absolutely use frozen shrimp here—just place the frozen shrimp directly in the pot, and keep in mind that the time it takes to come to a boil and cook through will likely be a bit longer than the instructions below.
• Broth: Although this recipe comes with an extra-flavorful sauce, I didn't skimp on the seasoning for our shrimp either. Technically, the shrimp is seasoned twice here: once when the shrimp is boiled, and a second time when it hits the sauce right before you bite into it. The shrimp gets its flavor from a homemade broth made from salt, sugar, a small onion, parsley, and fresh lemon juice.
• Cocktail Sauce: One of the best parts of a shrimp cocktail has to be the sauce—that’s why it’s worth making it homemade. With ketchup, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce and celery salt, this condiment packs a flavorful punch perfect for dunking your party app in.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside. Then, combine water, salt, sugar, onion, and parsley in a large pot before juicing a lemon into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil—once it’s boiling, turn off the heat and add the shrimp to the pot.

Let the shrimp sit in the mixture until they are pink and cooked through—this should take around 3 minutes. Once done, remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, and place in the bowl of ice water.

Now we can make the star of the show (in my opinion): the cocktail sauce. Combine all of your ingredients in a bowl, then mix until fully combined.

All that’s left is to plate and serve! Add your shrimp to the plate along with your cocktail sauce and lemon wedges, and garnish with parsley if you’re feeling extra.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Is shrimp cocktail served raw? The answer is no—the shrimp is boiled until pink and cooked through, then chilled before serving. If you’re looking to switch up the classic preparation, check out our roasted shrimp cocktail recipe.

Storage

This app is best enjoyed the day it's made, but if you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 days.