Shrimp Cocktail
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With plump shrimp, a zesty sauce, and a foolproof cooking method, this classic shrimp cocktail is always a crowd favorite!
Shrimp cocktail might be retro, but when done right, it’s a timeless classic that never goes out of style. Adapted from Bon Appetit, this version features big, plump shrimp, paired with a zesty, lemony, and horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce. It’s surprisingly easy to make, yet rivals the shrimp cocktail served at the finest restaurants and steakhouses.
The key is to use jumbo shell-on shrimp and pay close attention to the cooking time. Have a timer and an ice bath ready—it’s crucial to cook the shrimp for exactly 3-1/2 minutes and immediately plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process. This method ensures your shrimp are perfectly tender and never tough.
Table of Contents
“Excellent! I followed your directions exactly and the shrimp were more tender than I’ve ever previously prepared. Thank you for complete directions!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Cocktail
As with all of my shrimp recipes, I recommend buying frozen shrimp. Most shrimp are cleaned and flash-frozen shortly after being caught. Unless you live on the coast, the “fresh” shrimp you see in the seafood case is typically thawed frozen shrimp. Who knows how long it’s been sitting there, so you’re better off buying frozen and defrosting it yourself.
Shrimp have a dark vein running along their backs, which needs to be removed. It’s a bit tedious to do yourself, so look for shrimp labeled “shell split and deveined.” (If you need to do it yourself, use kitchen shears to cut through the shell along the back of the shrimp, from the head to the tail, then use a small paring knife to lift out the vein.)
Finally, be sure to buy raw shrimp instead of pre-cooked. This may sound obvious but it is a very common mistake, and cooking shrimp twice will result in very tough shrimp.
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium pot, combine the salt, sugar, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set next to the sink.
Add the shrimp to the boiling water mixture.
Cook for exactly 3-1/2 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and opaque. The cooking time is specific for jumbo 16-20 shrimp (“16-20” refers to the number/range of shrimp that size that you’ll get in a pound). If using different size shrimp, follow these guidelines: for 26-30, poach 1-1/2 minutes; for 21-25, poach 2 minutes; for 13-15, poach 4 minutes.
Drain the shrimp in a colander and then immediately plunge them into the ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process. Let sit until chilled, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Peel the shrimp, leaving just the tails attached. Transfer to a platter filled with crushed ice, if using, and serve with cocktail sauce on the side.
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Shrimp Cocktail
With plump shrimp, a zesty sauce, and a foolproof cooking method, this classic shrimp cocktail is always a crowd favorite!
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 pounds 16-20 shell-on shrimp, deveined, thawed if frozen (see note)
For the Cocktail Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- ½ teaspoon (packed) lemon zest, from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- A few dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste
For Serving (Optional)
- Crushed ice
Instructions
- In a medium pot, combine the salt, sugar, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set next to the sink.
- Add the shrimp to the boiling water mixture and cook for exactly 3½ minutes, until the shrimp are pink and opaque. The water will not really return to a boil once you add the shrimp; that's okay.
- Drain the shrimp in a colander and then immediately plunge them into the ice water to shock them and stop the cooking process. Let sit until chilled, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon zest and juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Peel the shrimp, leaving just the tails attached. Transfer to a platter filled with crushed ice, if using, and serve with cocktail sauce on the side.
- Note: "16-20" refers to the number/range of shrimp that size you'll get in a pound. Look for shell-on shrimp that are already deveined; it can be labeled Easy Peel, Simple Peel, or Shell Split and Deveined. If you can't find it and need to remove the black vein yourself, use kitchen shears to cut through the shell along the back of the shrimp, from the head to the tail, then use a small paring knife to lift out the vein. If using different size shrimp, follow these guidelines for cooking: for 26-30 shrimp, poach 1½ minutes; for 21-25 shrimp, poach 2 minutes; for 13-15 shrimp, poach 4 minutes.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The cocktail sauce can be made up to a week ahead and refrigerated. The shrimp can be cooked a day ahead and served cold.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 174
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 583 mg
- Cholesterol: 243 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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These were FABULOUS! So many compliments and requests for how to make them. Thanks so much!!
Jenn, when you say to cook for 3 1/2 minutes, does that mean as soon as you put the shrimp into the boiling water or once it reaches a boil?
Hi Janet, the 3 1/2 minutes starts as soon as you put the shrimp in the water (the water may not even return to a boil while the shrimp cook).
Hi. These were a hit last time I made them!
Planning again but need to know if I may defrost and de-vein the shrimp the evening before, and then cook and chill the next day prior to serving. I see stores sell ‘previously frozen’ shrimp that is defrosted, so hoping this is ok? I have limited time and would love to prep in advance. Thank you for always making me look like a good cook!
Glad these were a hit! Yes, you can definitely thaw and de-vein the shrimp the night before. Happy holidays!
Hi Jenn,
I have trouble when I want to double certain recipes. Can I double this recipe to cook 4 lbs of jumbo shrimp in a large saucepan or is it better to make two individual batches? Happy
Thanksgiving and thank you for all of your wonderful recipes.
Maria
Hi Maria, It’s fine to double this one and cook in one large pot. Enjoy!
Excellent! I followed your directions exactly and the shrimp were more tender than I’ve ever previously prepared. Thank you for complete directions!
I used this poaching method for adding shrimp to pasta salad. Y U M M Y!!!!! I’m doing this every time I need to add shrimp for make shrimp cocktail.
Hi there, this recipe looks amazing. I’ve made your key lime pie before and it was a showstopper. Thanks! But I’ve never cooked shrimp. If I halved the recipe would the cooking time change or would it stay the same? Thank you! (Signed a newbie cook!)
The cooking time would stay the same (and so glad you liked the pie)! Hope you enjoy the shrimp too. 🙂
Update: I made this about a month ago and it turned out AMAZING! I struggled with defrosting the shrimp day of (didn’t think ahead, whoops!) but otherwise was totally floored by the recipe. It came out perfect and was so tasty! Shared it with my roommates and watched The Little Mermaid. Both of them were so impressed. 10/10 recommend. So good!
Hi Jenn,
I have what is probably a stupid question, but I have NO experience with shrimp.
I just bought XL cooked shrimp, tail-on, deveined, and peeled. Should I just defrost in the fridge and serve once defrosted or would I need to cook these? Thanks!
Not a dumb question! If they’re uncooked (cooked are also in grocery stores), you’d definitely need to cook them. Hope you enjoy!
I made the recipe, but used thawed tail on peeled and deveined shrimp – excellent!
Hands down the best and simplest.
Hi. I can’t find the shell-on deveined shrimp. I am able to get the peeled, deveined, tail-on shrimp. Would anything change as far as cooking time? Any suggestions if this is the only shrimp I can get? Thank you!
Hi Kay, they will cook a bit faster — I’d check them at 2.5 to 3 minutes. Enjoy!
My frozen shrimp are peeled and deveined with tails only. Would I still follow your instructions? Also do you start timing immediately or wait for water to come back up to a boil once shrimp are added?
Thanks,
Chris
Hi Chris, because they’re peeled, they’ll cook a little faster. I’d check them at 2.5 to 3 minutes. And you start timing immediately after you put the shrimp in the pot.
Could we have a more detailed description – or even better, demonstration – of the whole “peel/devein/don’t peel/boil with shell on/remove shell but leave tail on…” process??
Today, in fact, I prepared some beautiful plump shrimp, wild-caught, frozen, shell-on.
Before boiling, I removed the entire shell, took out the dark (what is so often, erroneously and squeamishly called) “vein”, and then boiled the shrimp. It was a laborious bit of labor that I am not sure is the best way! Actually, I don’t necessarily think this is the best way, and I am an older, experienced cook, but I have never been really certain of what IS the best way. Could you, Jenn Segal, do a video demonstration of the process so that we end up with those beautiful, rosey-red shrimp as a result?
Hi Annie, I will add that to my list of potential how to’s/videos. 🙂
I have been steaming shrimp and seasoning with a little salt and pepper — sometimes Old Bay — for quite a while. This recipe is not only easier, but the taste is better and the texture is firm without excess moisture and wonderful. My friends are going to love the change. Thanks Jenn!
Question: Are the shrimp frozen when you put them in the boiling water or thawed but cold or thawed and room temp?
Hi Lynda, they should be thawed but cold. Hope you enjoy!
Shrimp cocktail is always a classic and classy, like a Caesar salad, a perfect steak, a succulently tender lobster tail, or dry martini, three olives please, hold the vermouth. Real food gets pushed aside for baked puffs and “dips to die for.” No thank you.
No ma’am, shrimp cocktail is not retro, it’s real, it’s simple, it’s always in style. Classic never goes out of style.
I like old bay seasoning to boil the shrimp.
Just a suggestion.
100% on Jenn’s cocktail sauce.
Simple and tasty 🙂
Joe B.
One question I have, why is there sugar in the cooking? Never did that before but wanted to find out what it is meant for. Thanks.
Hi William, You really can’t taste it but it brings out the sweetness of the shrimp.
my preferred shrimp cocktail appetizer prep method:
simply buy frozen cooked,peeled, and deveined 16-20 count shrimp.
Then thaw ,clean, chill, and serve.
this is easier and the taste is very good.
What about the vein in the inside of the shrimp (“belly”)? I usually remove this too. It doesn’t seem to be part of the deveining process when you buy frozen deveined shrimp.
Hi Carol, I don’t bother removing that one unless it’s really obvious.
Buy wild caught Shrimp without added chemicals. They add a chemical to shrimp so they can get it through the de-veining machine. So what is it? It’s an additive—called sodium tripolyphosphate, or STPP for short—and it is used to make your seafood appear firmer, smoother and glossier. Seafood manufacturers may soak your seafood in a quick chemical bath of STPP in order to achieve these effects. You may need to work harder on the peeling process but I guarantee a better end result.
Completely agree! I cooked two batches of 8-12 shrimp. One was simply raw shrimp. The other was EZ peel. The difference was amazing. Buy larger, untreated shrimp. Less work best results