It turns out that figuring out how to make shrimp cocktail was surprisingly easy. No fancy ingredients boiled into the water and no stress about getting the shrimp cooked just perfectly.
Some people overthink shrimp cocktail. Boiling carrots, celery seed and whole black peppercorns for up to 30 minutes, essentially making a brine for a quick dunk.
I’ve made shrimp that way and I’ve made them this way and let me tell ya… I can’t tell the difference.
I also think people are intimidated by shrimp cocktail. Either worried about overcooking or undercooking and thus ruining a pricey appetizer or munchie.
It doesn’t take much heat or time to cook shrimp. The shrimp will tell you when they are done. They turn pink and their tails curl.
Make sure you PIN Classic Shrimp Cocktail!
How much you make really depends on several factors. What else are you making with your meal and how large are the shrimp?
If it is a sit-down meal with large or extra large shrimp, account for 4-5 per person. If you are hosting a party and it is buffet style, 2-3 ounces per person should be good. I would also suggest using a smaller shrimp.
This is the perfect appetizer for any parties I host, especially around the holidays. I mean, is it really a New Year’s Eve party if there’s no shrimp cocktail appetizer?
If you’ve been nervous to make shrimp cocktail in the past, definitely give it a shot. This easy appetizer may be far easier than you think!
What's In This Article
Ingredients
For this Classic Shrimp Cocktail recipe, I went back to the basics. The only ingredients in what I consider to be the best shrimp cocktail recipe are lemon, salt and, of course, shrimp cocktail sauce for serving.
- Water – A large pot of hot water will essentially serve as our poaching method. The shrimp don’t need to cook long, just long enough to turn pink and absorb that lemon flavor.
- Lemon – Lemon wedges will be boiled in the water to help give the shrimp some flavor. You can also serve your shrimp cocktail with extra lemon wedges or lemon slices. Some people like to squeeze lemon juice on theirs.
- Salt – I always use Kosher salt for this homemade shrimp cocktail. It gets added while the water is boiling to help create tender shrimp.
- Jumbo shrimp – For a classic shrimp cocktail, you’ll want tail-on shrimp that have been deveined. Frozen shrimp is usually the way you buy it at the grocery store. But just make sure it id deveined shrimp.
- Homemade cocktail sauce – You can either make your own cocktail sauce, or just buy some at the store. I like making my own so that I can control the heat with the amount of horseradish I use, but it’s just personal preference.
How to Make Shrimp Cocktail
- Boil lemon and water. Bring water and lemon to a rolling boil in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add salt. Add salt, boil a little longer.
- Boil shrimp. Add raw shrimp and remove from heat.
- Allow to turn pink. You’ll know when they’re done because cooked shrimp turn pink and the tails curl.
- Drain and cool. Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. You can transfer to an ice bath to speed this process along.
- Refrigerate. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve with cocktail sauce.
Storage and Freezing
You can store this shrimp dish in the refrigerator for three to four days. Make sure it is in an airtight container. If you want to make it ahead of time, make it at least 1 hour before serving, but you can make it up to 24 in advance. Make sure you refrigerate until ready to eat.
Most shrimp was previously frozen and should not be frozen a second time. However, it isn’t totally impossible.
More Easy Shrimp Recipes
Classic Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients
- 3 quarts water
- 1 lemon , cut into quarters
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- 2 pounds large shrimp
- Classic Cocktail Sauce
Instructions
- Bring water and lemon to a rolling boil in a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Add salt, boil for 1 more minute.
- Add shrimp and remove from heat.
- Stir shrimp until they turn pink and curl.
- Drain well and rinse with cold water.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve with Classic Cocktail Sauce.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!
Thanks, perfect shrimp cocktail! The best!
Thank you!
I made this. It was super easy & delicious. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for coming back to let us know!
The shrimp cocktail is delishious!
Can you put frozen shrimp into the water directly or do you have to thaw the frozen shrimp first? This seems incredibly simple and delicious, I’d love to try, but I can only find frozen wild shrimp currently. Thank you!
Hi Ash- you can throw it in frozen, but the cooking time will increase because they you are throwing ice cubes into hot water.
Can I use lemon juice instead of fresh lemons?
You sure can! Bottled is just a little more muted.
Do I need to peel the shrimp before I boil it?
Nope! Peel them after boiling.
Should I use raw or cooked shrimp for this recipe?
Raw shrimp. It cooks when you boil it.
You can do either, but it’s a lot easier to peel them after you cook then. Don’t forget to devein them, that black line down the spine of the shrimp. It’s actually shrimp poop, so you want to peel that out and rinse in cold water.
First time for actually cooking the shrimp first myself for a cocktail…turned out fab! Then I used your recipe for the sauce, and it was fab….added that extra something to my usual. Thanks so much!
Yay! So glad to hear that and that you had the confidence to make them.
Sorry for the silly question–but do the calories include the sauce or are they for just the shrimp?
No silly questions! This only includes the shrimp.
That cocktail sauce is totally calling out to me!
I have always loved shrimp cocktail! This looks excellent and delicious!
This looks wonderful. I’ve had this at parties but have never made it at home. Glad to know it’s so easy.
Lovely photos! I’ve never thought about making shrimp cocktail myself – I always buy it premade at the store – simply because I am intimidated to cook raw shrimp. I’ll have to try out your advice!
What an easy recipe! Shrimp is my favorite but must say I don’t use it to make appetizers much! Gotta change that 🙂