Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
The best Shrimp Cocktail (prawn cocktail) is made by oven-roasting, then dipping them in homemade shrimp cocktail sauce! The shrimp cooks in just 15 minutes and is such an easy appetizer for the holiday season, New Year's Eve, or party food for special occasions and celebrations. Roasting is a great way to go versus dealing with a large pot of boiling water, a sheet pan is so much easier with less cleanup, and the roasting adds deep rich, delicious shrimpy flavor.
Servings: 8
Calories: 163kcal
Ingredients
cooked shrimp
- 2 lbs wild shrimp tail-on, peeled, deveined large/jumbo shrimp 20-25 count
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or white pepper
homemade shrimp cocktail sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup Chili Garlic Sauce Heinz or Vietnamese brand
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1 cup celery 3 stalks finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce or Frank's red hot sauce
- lemon wedges optional garnish
Instructions
make cocktail sauce
- In a small bowl, combine ketchup, chili garlic sauce, lemon zest and lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, prepared horseradish, finely diced celery, and Tabasco hot sauce.
- Mix well, and chill in an airtight container in the fridge.
roast the shrimp
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Remove the frozen shrimp from the bag, place in a colander and rinse under cool water. Your shrimp will be ready to cook in about 15 minutes from frozen.
- Peel and devein the shrimp if not already clean, and leave the tails on if possible, this gives your guest a little "handle" to hold the shrimp as you dunk them in the dipping sauce!
- Place on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper, toss to coat evenly and spread into one layer.
- Roast 15 minutes, until just pink, and they will curl up a bit and will be firm. Set aside to cool.
- Arrange the roasted shrimp on a large platter with the homemade cocktail sauce in a bowl and some fresh lemon wedges to squeeze on top.
Video
Notes
shrimp
I recommend buying good wild-caught shrimp vs farm-raised, the flavor and natural product are worth a bit extra on the price. Now, the packages can be confusing! I have a full chart of shrimp in this recipe post, but here are some of the common shrimp sizes and names to help you navigate your purchase. For this recipe, any shrimp will work, but I would buy jumbo or extra-jumbo shrimp. Once you defrost them, they shrink in size as the ice melts away! Extra Jumbo 16/20 4-5/servingJumbo 21/25 5-6/serving
Extra Large 26/30 6-7/serving
Large 31/35 8-9/serving
Medium Large 36/40 9-10/serving
- wild shrimp - buy tail-on, peeled deveined large 20-25 count also called jumbo. Wild shrimp is a natural seafood product and is my recommendation.
- olive oil - good extra virgin olive oil.
- sea salt - kosher sea salt is my go-to!
- ground black pepper - ground fresh is packed with flavor.
- Chili Garlic Sauce - Heinz or Vietnamese brand, these are easy to find in any grocery and a versatile condiment.
- ketchup - brings that sweet tomato flavor into the cocktail sauce and the color.
- lemon - zest and juice one real lemon, which adds amazing tang and brightness.
- prepared horseradish - adds a nice spicy kick, and balances the sweet chili sauce, for a milder sauce- reduce or omit the amount of horseradish.
- Worcestershire sauce - adds a tangy depth of umami flavor.
- celery - finely chopped adds a crisp clean crunch and makes the best cocktail sauce.
- Tabasco - or a hot sauce you love adds just the right amount of heat.
Nutrition
Serving: 8g | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 286mg | Sodium: 1444mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 178mg | Iron: 3mg