Who doesn’t love shrimp cocktail?  Nobody…unless you’re allergic to shrimp I guess.  I actually know someone who’s allergic to shrimp but loves it so much that once in a while he takes a bunch of benedryl and eats shrimp…now that’s some shrimp dedication right there (I don’t recommend doing this by the way).

Here are your ingredients for the perfect shrimp cocktail…

2 lbs – peeled (except for tail), de-veined raw shrimp

2 cups – ketchup
3 tbsp – worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp – prepared horseradish
1/2 lemon, juiced

If you serve shrimp cocktail at a party everyone gets super excited…people say to themselves, “oh look!  shrimp cocktail…this is going to be a great party.”  You know it’s true…you never have leftover shrimp cocktail after a party, even if you make 500 pounds of it.

I also love to make shrimp cocktail as an appetizer when I’m really hungry, shrimp has virtually no fat and no carbs but it’s packed with protein…this is good news for me because I can eat a boatload (get it?) of those little suckers!

Now let’s talk about buying shrimp…you can get shrimp in all different forms and sizes.  Peeled, not peeled, peeled except for the little tail, de-veined, not de-veined, peeled and de-veined, cooked, raw, frozen, not frozen…the list goes on and on.  You can get really big shrimp or little bitty shrimp or something in between.  Just cue the Forrest Gump scene already…

I have three rules for buying shrimp that will be used for shrimp cocktail… they must be raw, they can’t be little bitty and they must have the tail still attached.  You can get some really good deals on frozen shrimp these days, especially if you’re willing to do the de-veining.  De-veining shrimp is SO easy, don’t be afraid to do it…

click here if you need instructions, and then just scroll down to the shrimp photos.

I would NEVER recommend buying already cooked shrimp…because it always sucks.

To cook your shrimp, get a large pot of water going on the stove.  If you bought frozen shrimp, thaw it under cold water before cooking.

Once the water is boiling add your raw, tail-on, de-veined shrimp to the pot.

The water will get a little foamy…that’s normal.  Stir the pot with a big spoon for one minute and then get those things out of the pot immediately!  

One rule about boiling shrimp…when you think they’re done, they’re already overcooked.  Unless you are boiling prawns (very large shrimp) one minute is all they need.

Pour the pot of shrimp into a strainer.

And start running cold water over them…

Now set the strainer on a plate to catch any access water and put the whole thing in the refrigerator to chill some more.

Time to make the sauce, here is what you need…

Just put all of these ingredients in a bowl…

And stir it all together…

And there you have it…

If you’re serving these for a crowd and you want to make sure the shrimp stays cold, my recommendation is to set the platter over another platter filled with ice…or just throw some ice over the shrimp.

Once you set down the platter, I advise you to get out of the way quickly to avoid being trampled by your guests.

Cheers!

The Good Cooker