One of my favorite appetizers is a classic shrimp cocktail. If shrimp cocktail is on our menu, it’s probably a special occasion.To be honest, I’ve always bought frozen or thawed precooked shrimp; I have yet to buy raw shrimp and boil it myself for shrimp cocktail. I’m not afraid of boiling raw shrimp for shrimp cocktail. The reason I haven’t so far in my foodie journey is one of convenience. Usually I’m making so much of the menu from scratch, that I need to make some convenience choices. However, there is a line I do not cross. I refuse to buy shrimp cocktail sauce. Pause for the gasp. I know. Call me a shrimp-cocktail-sauce snob if you want to. In my defense, any shrimp cocktail sauce I buy, whether it comes a jar or is included in a plastic shrimp cocktail container, is just too sweet. Not to mention the ingredients I can’t pronounce. I usually have the two main ingredients in my refrigerator to make my own cocktail sauce, and this tastes so much better. I promise.
Shrimp Cocktail With Homemade Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup (use Primal Kitchen or equivalent to be Whole30 compliant)
1 or 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish
juice of 1 lemon
Gather the shrimp cocktail sauce ingredients.
In a small bowl add horseradish 1 to 2 tablespoons of horseradish (depending on how strong you want the sauce) to 1/2 cup of ketchup. Finish the sauce with lemon juice.
For frozen cooked shrimp
Poke a couple of holes in the bag containing the frozen shrimp. Place the bag of shrimp in a bowl in such a way that the shrimp will drain into the bowl as the shrimp thaws. Thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight (24 hours). If the shrimp is already thawed move to the next step.
Rinse the thawed shrimp in a colander, pat dry with paper towel, arrange shrimp on a platter and squeeze with the rest of the first half of lemon.
Slice the remaining half of lemon as decorative pieces for the shrimp cocktail platter. Take a pinch or two of your favorite seasoning salt, or old bay seasoning and lightly sprinkle the shrimp with the seasoning.
Note: if you are planning on leaving shrimp cocktail out for more than 1/2 hour, you should plate them on ice.
Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup (use Primal Kitchen or equivalent to be Whole30 compliant)
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish
- juice of 1 lemon
Directions
- Step 1 1. Gather the shrimp cocktail sauce ingredients.
- Step 2 2. In a small bowl add horseradish 1 to 2 tablespoons of horseradish (depending on how strong you want the sauce) to 1/2 cup of ketchup. Finish the sauce with lemon juice.
- Step 3 3. For frozen cooked shrimp poke a couple of holes in the bag containing the frozen shrimp. Place the bag of shrimp in a bowl in such a way that the shrimp will drain into the bowl as the shrimp thaws. Thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator overnight (24 hours). If the shrimp is already thawed move to the next step.
- Step 4 4. Rinse the thawed shrimp in a colander, pat dry with paper towel, arrange shrimp on a platter and squeeze with the rest of the lemon.
