Shrimp Cocktail
You'll love Ree's take on this classic appetizer!
By Lauren Miyashiro; Recipe by Ree Drummond
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For a crowd-pleasing holiday appetizer, serve homemade shrimp cocktail. It’s easy, impressive, and most likely more budget-friendly than buying it from the fish market. Before poaching the shrimp, Ree simmers a pot of water with aromatics like lemon, onion, garlic, Old Bay, and bay leaf for extra flavor. Then, after stirring the shrimp into the simmering water, she calls for immediately covering the pot and cutting the heat. It only takes 3 to 4 minutes for perfectly pink and tender (not chewy!) results.
Can you use frozen shrimp for shrimp cocktail?
Having a bag of peeled and deveined shrimp in the freezer is always a good idea, especially when it comes to easy weeknight dinners. You can use frozen shrimp when making shrimp cocktail, just make sure it’s thawed first. If it’s the day before you plan to serve the shrimp cocktail, defrost the shrimp overnight in the fridge. Need a faster solution? Put frozen shrimp in a big bowl of cold, not warm, water. They’ll be ready to go in 10 to 20 minutes.
How do you cool down shrimp after poaching?
To quickly cool down the poached shrimp (and avoid overcooking), Ree transfers the shrimp to a bowl placed within a bowl of ice water, stirring them occasionally. Once they’ve stopped steaming, transfer the shrimp to a platter and refrigerate until cold.
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- Yields:
- 8 - 10 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 30 mins
Ingredients
SHRIMP
- 1
lemon, halved
- 1
onion, roughly chopped
- 3
garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 tbsp.
Old Bay Seasoning
- 1
bay leaf
- 2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1 tsp.
black peppercorns
- 2 lb.
large shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
COCKTAIL SAUCE
- 1 c.
ketchup
- 2 tbsp.
prepared horseradish
- 1 tsp.
hot sauce
- 3
dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp.
black pepper
Directions
- Step 1For the shrimp: Fill a large pot with 8 cups cold water. Squeeze in the lemon juice, then add the lemon halves. Add the onion, garlic, Old Bay, bay leaf, salt and peppercorns and bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook for 20 minutes. Scoop out the solids and return the liquid to a simmer.
- Step 2Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Add 3 cups of water and place a smaller bowl inside (but don’t let the water get in the smaller bowl!).
- Step 3Add the shrimp to the pot with the simmering liquid and stir, then cover and turn off the heat. Let sit until the shrimp are pink, curled and opaque throughout, 3 minutes for smaller shrimp and 4 minutes for larger shrimp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the bowl set over the ice bath. Gently stir every few minutes to cool down the shrimp. Once they’re no longer steaming, put the shrimp on a platter and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.
- Step 4Meanwhile, for the cocktail sauce: Stir the ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with the shrimp.
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