The Best Homemade Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail dipped in cocktail sauce

5 from 2 votes

The Best Homemade Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail is something we usually pick up at the supermarket last minute as an afterthought. With 20 minutes you can make an amazing appetizer ACTUALLY worth eating!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 97kcal

Author: Vincent DelGiudice

Cost: $15

Equipment

1 large pot

Ingredients

Shrimp

1 lager or golden ale
1-2 pounds shrimp
1 lemon
¼ cup old bay seasoning

Cocktail Sauce

½ cup ketchup
½ tablespoon calabrian peppers
½ tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
½ tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon worcestershire

Instructions

Defrost shrimp overnight or in running cold water. If you buy unpeeled shrimp, you can save the peels for the boil. Peel and devein. Leave the tails on.
In a large pot, fill to ¾ of the way with water. Add your beer, squeeze the juice from the lemon, and place the squeezed lemon in the pot. Stir in half of the old bay seasoning and bring to a boil. If you saved, peels you can also put peels into the pot for taste.
While waiting for the water to come to a boil, combine cocktail sauce ingredients, stir, and store in the fridge covered.
Once the water comes to a boil, drop in your shrimp for 2-3 minutes or until pink and the tails start curling. Strain the shrimp and immediate place in a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds to 1 minute to stop the cooking process. Strain and serve with cocktail sauce.

Notes

When boiling the shrimp, be ready to pull them out immediately so that they don't overcook. As soon as they are opaque, remove them from the stock.
Letting the spicy cocktail sauce sit over night will let the flavors marinate and make it taste even better.

Nutrition