Shrimp Cocktail

5 from 9 votes

This shrimp cocktail platter will forever be a timeless holiday appetizer! Plus, I've got the perfect cocktail sauce recipe to pair with it. Watch the video below to see how I make it in my kitchen!

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Chill Time5

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Shrimp Cocktail, Shrimp Cocktail Recipe

Servings: servings

Author: Lisa Bryan

Ingredients

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 lemon halved
Optional: flavor-boosters for poaching liquid, such as garlic, ginger, onion, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fresh herbs.
2 pounds jumbo shrimp (tail-on and deveined)
extra lemon wedges for serving

For the cocktail sauce

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot sauce (like Tabasco) or more to taste

US - Metric

Instructions

Poach the shrimp. Fill a large pot with water and salt. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and add the lemon halves into the water. Optional: add aromatics to the poaching liquid (see ideas above). Bring the poaching liquid to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Add the shrimp and let them poach for 2 ½ to 3 minutes, or until they're pink and firm.
Drain and chill the shrimp. Drain the shrimp in a colander, let cool for a few minutes, then place in the fridge to cool completely.
Make the cocktail sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
Serve on a platter. Serve the shrimp over ice on a large platter, along with the cocktail sauce and extra lemon wedges.

Video

Notes

For many shrimp recipes you typically cool the shrimp quickly in an ice water bath. But if you do that for this recipe you'll remove much of the extra flavor from the poaching liquid. So just drain and then chill!
If you're serving this up in individual glasses, you'll likely need to double or triple the cocktail sauce recipe, as the individual glasses need a bit more sauce to look full.

Nutrition