Easy Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp cocktail. A quintessential appetizer that’s so easy to make and is ready in minutes.

After making it yourself you’ll wonder why you ever bought those overpriced pre-made deli trays.

When you make it yourself it tastes better, fresher, and you can select the size of shrimp used. I think bigger is better when it comes to shrimp cocktail and most deli trays use dinky shrimp. I want big plump shrimp.

I prefer to use 12 to 15 count shrimp, meaning there’s 12 to 15 shrimp per pound. If my grocery store doesn’t have that size on a particular day, I’ll go for 16 to 20 count.

The secret to imparting flavor to the shrimp is to add lemon, a bay leaf, salt and pepper to the pot of boiling water you’re going to cook the shrimp in before adding the shrimp. This allows time for the flavors to develop and bloom.

Once you add the shrimp they cook very quickly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pull them when they’ve firmed up and just turned pink and place them in an icebath to stop the cooking. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery, tough, and not good.

There are so many recipes for homemade cocktail sauce but I love Trader Joe’s cocktail sauce because it’s heavy-handed with horseradish and it’s as easy as opening a jar. But if you have ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice, salt and pepper on hand it’s a cinch to make. Shrimp smothered in cocktail sauce is the best.

The shrimp are sweet with just the right amount of savory brine and irresistible.

Easy Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp cocktail is a quintessential appetizer that's so easy to make and is ready in minutes. After making it yourself you'll wonder why you ever bought those overpriced pre-made deli trays.When you make it yourself it tastes better, fresher, and you can select the size of shrimp used. I prefer to use 12 to 15 count shrimp, but 16 to 20 count will work. The secret to imparting flavor to the shrimp is to add lemon, a bay leaf, salt and pepper to the pot of boiling water before adding the shrimp. Pull the shrimp when they've firmed up and just turned pink and place them in an icebath to stop the cooking. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery, tough, and not good. The shrimp are sweet with just the right amount of savory brine and irresistible.

Yield: 12 to 15 large shrimp

Prep Time:

Cook Time:

Total Time:

Ingredients:

• about 2 quarts water
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• 10 to 15 whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste (1 tablespoon salt to 1 pound of shrimp cooked in 2 quarts of water is a good ratio)
• one pound of 12-15 count (16-20 count okay) raw shrimp, deveined and peeled with tails left on
• icebath
• cocktail sauce, for serving (storebought or homemade, see blog post for recipe links)

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot with water (about 2 quarts for 1 pound shrimp) and add the lemon, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow water to boil for 5 to 10 minutes (while you're cleaning the shrimp) to allow the flavors to develop.
2. Add the shrimp to the water (no need to remove lemon, bay leaves, or peppercorns) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until done. Pull shrimp when they've firmed up and just turned pink. Overcooked shrimp are rubbery, tough, and not good.
3. Add shrimp to an icebath to stop the cooking and allow to remain in icebath for about 5 minutes, or until chilled. Serve immediately with cocktail sauce or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 24 hours before serving.

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