Peel-and-Eat Boiled Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce
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Ready to dig in? These Maryland-style boiled shrimp are packed with flavor—peel, eat, and enjoy a hands-on seafood feast!
One of my family’s favorite summer traditions is heading to seafood shacks, where we sit around brown paper–covered picnic tables and dig into peel-and-eat shrimp, blue crabs, and crab cakes. Even better is recreating the experience at home with a backyard seafood boil. Boiled shrimp are quick, easy, and so much fun to eat. I love making them Maryland-style—simmered in beer and Old Bay, with homemade cocktail sauce on the side. Cooking shrimp in the shell locks in flavor and moisture, and it means less work for the cook!
Boiled shrimp pairs nicely with cornbread, fresh corn salad, or any number of summery corn dishes.
“This is the best Maryland-style spiced shrimp I have ever had, and I’m from MD!”
What You’ll Need To Make Peel-And-Eat Boiled Shrimp With Cocktail Sauce
- OLD BAY: Adds a signature blend of bold, zesty spices that perfectly complements the shrimp. The primary spices in Old Bay are celery salt, red and black pepper, and paprika.
- BUTTER, BEER & WATER: These work together to create the flavorful cooking liquid for the shrimp. Butter adds richness, beer lends a subtle malty note, and a bit of water dilutes the beer flavor slightly so it doesn’t overpower the shrimp.
- EXTRA-LARGE SHRIMP: Meaty enough to hold up to boiling. I like frozen, deveined shrimp — they’re usually cleaned and flash-frozen right after being caught. Unless you live near the coast, “fresh” shrimp at the fish counter is often previously frozen anyway, so you’re better off buying frozen and thawing at home.
- KETCHUP, PREPARED HORSERADISH, LEMON JUICE & CAYENNE: The building blocks of a great cocktail sauce. Ketchup gives you a sweet-tangy base, horseradish adds that signature spicy kick, lemon juice brightens everything, and a pinch of cayenne brings just enough heat to keep things interesting.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat the cooking liquid. Combine the beer, water, butter, and Old Bay in a large pot or Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
Step 2: Boil the shrimp. Add the shrimp, turn the heat down to medium, and cover with a lid. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes, stirring once so they cook evenly, until the shrimp are pink but still tender. Be careful not to overcook!
Step 3: Make the sauce. Combine the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine.
Step 4: Serve. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a platter. Serve hot or cold with beer, cocktail sauce, and plenty of napkins. Enjoy!
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Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 2½ tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup beer
- 1 cup water
- 2 pounds extra large shrimp (26-30 per pound), shell split and deveined, thawed if frozen
For the Cocktail Sauce
- 6 tablespoons ketchup
- ½ tablespoon prepared horseradish (see note)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
For the Shrimp
- Combine the Old Bay, butter, beer, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, turn the heat down to medium, and cover the pot with a lid. Cook, stirring once, for 3 to 6 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the broth and transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot or cold with cocktail sauce.
For the Cocktail Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Note: Prepared horseradish can be found in the refrigerator aisle at your supermarket.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 220
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 344 mg
- Cholesterol: 259 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.
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This was a perfect summer dinner when it’s too hot to cook. We enjoyed these shrimp on the deck with a salad and a nice glass of wine. I felt like I was on vacation! The seasoning was just right and the shrimp were so flavorful.
I’m not much of a beer drinker, but if I do it is usually Stella, Corrona, or Summer Shanty. Would these work or should I use a different type of beer to get more flavor? If do, can you recommend a couple I might be able to buy singles. Thank you
Hi Julie, Any of those beers would work. Enjoy!
Loved this recipe! It will be my new go to anytime I cook shrimp, which is often!! Love your website and all your yummy recipes.
Perfection! Doubled the recipe for Royal Reds. Lovely aroma from the boil and the shrimp were tender and excellent. Topped with fresh parsley and served with a bacon and egg Caesar salad. Thank you for helping a first timer look like an experienced cook.
Love this recipe. Always serve fresh peel & eat shrimp with wings at BBQs now because of this simple and delicious recipe. Thank you for sharing!
This is our GO TO shrimp recipe. We don’t buy thawed shrimp anymore at the grocery store. My wife and I are very grateful you shared this. THANKS
Made this twice now. It is the best! The hardest part for me is waiting for the shrimp to defrost!!!
Delicious! Made exactly as written with fresh local Florida gulf shrimp and loved- served warm with the cocktail sauce (made also per above recipe but with both chili sauce and ketchup and more horseradish). I have never made a recipe from this site that I didn’t like 🙂
Question: If I refrigerate the cooking liquid, can I use again in the next day or so? Thanks Jenn!😊
Hi Liz, Glad you enjoyed the shrimp! It’s never occurred to me to reuse the cooking liquid, but I think you could get away with it. 🙂
We enjoyed this recipe very much. I don’t know if i prefer them hot or cold, but either way, so very good. Spice is just enough where you can still taste the shrimp. I think this would be a hit with any shrimp lover, even kids. Thank you for sharing.
I have frozen my shrimp cooking liquid and it works perfectly!
Hi Jenn,
Can I use peeled shrimp instead? Thank you, Lisa
Hi Lisa, I wouldn’t recommend it. The peel helps to keep the shrimp tender while it’s cooking. Sorry!
Made it tonight and loved it! I used a bit more horseradish because I love it spicy. Thanks!!
Easy recipe for a weekday dinner. Family loved it! Dad got the props for another dinner…..thanks.