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Home ► Recipes ► American

Asian Shrimp Cocktail

Updated: 07.17.23 | Marc Matsumoto | 44 Comments

No ratings yet
Shimp cocktail recipe with juicy ginger lime poached shrimp and a spicy Asian cocktail sauce.
Recipe

The origin of Shrimp Cocktail is a bit unclear. Some say it's so named for the cocktail of condiments in the sauce, others say it's because they are traditionally served in cocktail glasses--a clever repurposing of unused stemware during Prohibition. Whatever the case, Shrimp Cocktail is a quintessential retro American dish that's undergone little innovation over the past century.

At its best, Shrimp Cocktail is a titillating appetizer with plump juicy shrimp doused with lemon juice and dipped in a sweet spicy sauce that goes down kicking courtesy of the horseradish. Unfortunately, frozen precooked shrimp and jarred sauce make many experiences akin to dipping a spongy hockey stick into a vat of red corn syrup.

I've updated the classic with Asian flavors, replacing the ketchup with a mixture of fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce, the Tabasco with Thai sweet chili sauce, and the horseradish with wasabi. To get the shrimp to fulfill their destiny, I gently poached them in a ginger, lime and cilantro broth which keeps them moist and tender.

It's not hard to do, and I think there are a lot of other interesting flavor combinations that could be employed here... plum with Sichuan peppercorns.... roasted red pepper with pimenton... Just make sure you use the best quality shrimp you can get; they are the centerpiece of the dish after all.

📖 Recipe

Asian Shrimp Cocktail

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Yield 18 shrimp

Units

Ingredients 

for shrimp

  • 450 grams large shrimp (about 18 16/20 shrimp)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 whole plant cilantro (leaves, stems and root)
  • 1 inch knob fresh ginger (sliced thin)
  • 1 Serrano chili
  • lime peel
  • ½ cups sake

for cocktail sauce

  • 1 small tomato (cut into ¼" cubes)
  • ½ cups tomato sauce (pureed stewed tomatoes)
  • 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 teaspoon wasabi

Instructions

  • Remove the shells from the shrimp being careful to leave the tail intact. Devein the shrimp by cutting a slit all the way down the back side (opposite where the legs were), and removing any brown stuff. Put the shells in a large saucepan along with the water, sugar, salt, cilantro, ginger, chili and lime peel. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes then strain the the stock.
  • Add the strained stock back into the pan along with the sake and boil for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol in the sake. Add the shrimp to the hot stock, cover, then turn off the heat. depending on how large the shrimp are, they will need to poach anywhere from 8-10 minutes.
  • When the shrimp are cooked, plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and refrigerate until you are ready to serve (up to one day).
  • For the cocktail sauce, put all the tomato, tomato puree, Thai Chili sauce, and fish sauce in a nonreactive pan and simmer over low heat until the tomatoes have mostly disolved into the sauce (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and all the cocktail sauce to come to room temperature. Add the lime juice and wasabi and stir well to make sure there are no clumps of wasabi. Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
  • To serve, put a small bowl in the middle of a large plate, add the cocktail sauce to the bowl and lay the shrimp around the bowl.
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    Recipe Rating




  1. Equipoise says

    February 09, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Prawns are my favorite, thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply
  2. giselle says

    January 25, 2011 at 2:14 am

    very nice coctail,, i lke to taste it.....

    Reply
  3. extra large cooking pots says

    November 30, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    Please give me more information. I love it, Thanks again.

    Reply
  4. Marc Matsumoto says

    October 14, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    Wine in food serves a couple purposes 1) It adds flavor, depending on the
    wine you use it can add tartness, sweetness, bitterness, and the flavors of
    the wine to the dish 2) Many braised dishes call for wine because it adds
    liquid to the dish without adding water 3) Acidic wines help tenderize meat
    4) The alcohol in the wine will burn off as it's heated, but before it burns
    off, it helps release flavors in the other ingredients in what you're
    cooking.

    Reply
  5. Moana says

    October 14, 2010 at 10:22 pm

    I try my best to learn how to cook and used to watch a lot of cooking programs on TV I used to see them using red/white wine. What is the purpose of using wine?.

    Reply
  6. Moana says

    October 14, 2010 at 10:19 pm

    Me and my family loves seafoods esp. prawns. However I can not figure out a good sauce to go with it to worth the price. Tested it, ummmmmm so yum. Thanks a lot

    Reply
  7. Chinese Seafood Recipes says

    November 05, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    Wow, the cooking way of this dish is great, I’ll try it later and I hope it tastes delicious. Just one suggestion: If you add some cooking pictures it will be easier to follow!

    Reply
  8. Chinese Seafood Recipes says

    November 05, 2009 at 8:21 am

    Wow, the cooking way of this dish is great, I’ll try it later and I hope it tastes delicious. Just one suggestion: If you add some cooking pictures it will be easier to follow!

    Reply
  9. Krissy @ The Food Addicts says

    August 30, 2009 at 9:55 pm

    I've been making a lot of cocktail sauce lately for some parties, and instead of horseradish, I've also been using wasabi. It gives it a nice kick! I adore your knack for good photography.

    Reply
  10. Krissy @ The Food Addicts says

    August 30, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    I've been making a lot of cocktail sauce lately for some parties, and instead of horseradish, I've also been using wasabi. It gives it a nice kick! I adore your knack for good photography.

    Reply
  11. diva says

    August 18, 2009 at 2:34 am

    this is definitely the winner. there are some places out there butchering the prawn cocktails. i had one at a restaurant in Windsor which was shocking. the prawns were horribly rubbery and the sauce just awful. and it didn't even look pretty. x

    Reply
  12. diva says

    August 17, 2009 at 10:34 pm

    this is definitely the winner. there are some places out there butchering the prawn cocktails. i had one at a restaurant in Windsor which was shocking. the prawns were horribly rubbery and the sauce just awful. and it didn't even look pretty. x

    Reply
  13. manggy says

    August 16, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Yeah, those shrimp cocktails with the sad shrimp really disappointed me-- not hockey sticks but like eating chewy ice 😛 These look much more appetizing- very chic. And please tell me that's not your (manicure)! Ha ha ha 🙂

    Reply
  14. Ninette says

    August 16, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Hey Marc. Looks great. I was trying to figure out how to get the shrimp firm like it is in the steakhouses, and the secret is apparently brining. We made them the other night, brining them for 30 minutes first before poaching, and they were awesome.

    Reply
  15. manggy says

    August 16, 2009 at 11:13 am

    Yeah, those shrimp cocktails with the sad shrimp really disappointed me-- not hockey sticks but like eating chewy ice 😛 These look much more appetizing- very chic. And please tell me that's not your (manicure)! Ha ha ha 🙂

    Reply
  16. Ninette says

    August 16, 2009 at 8:52 am

    Hey Marc. Looks great. I was trying to figure out how to get the shrimp firm like it is in the steakhouses, and the secret is apparently brining. We made them the other night, brining them for 30 minutes first before poaching, and they were awesome.

    Reply
  17. Laura [What I Like says

    August 15, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    Oh what a wonderful idea! You could do a sauce themed on every cuisine...Mexican? Moroccan? But in this hot weather I agree Asian is absolutely the way to go.

    Reply
  18. Laura [What I Like says

    August 15, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    Oh what a wonderful idea! You could do a sauce themed on every cuisine...Mexican? Moroccan? But in this hot weather I agree Asian is absolutely the way to go.

    Reply
  19. Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says

    August 15, 2009 at 6:06 am

    I love that a whole coriander plant goes into the stock (sorry, doesn't feel right to call it cilantro) Sounds like a vast improvement on a much maligned classic!

    Reply
  20. Danielle says

    August 15, 2009 at 5:22 am

    Amazing photography!

    Reply
  21. Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says

    August 15, 2009 at 2:06 am

    I love that a whole coriander plant goes into the stock (sorry, doesn't feel right to call it cilantro) Sounds like a vast improvement on a much maligned classic!

    Reply
  22. Danielle says

    August 15, 2009 at 1:22 am

    Amazing photography!

    Reply
  23. jessica says

    August 14, 2009 at 10:04 pm

    I'm in love with your sauce and I haven't even tried it yet. I just know it's going to better than the sticky sweet stuff with old horseradish.

    Reply
  24. The Duo Dishes says

    August 14, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    The cocktail sauce needs to be bottled. Sounds perfect.

    Reply
  25. jessica says

    August 14, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    I'm in love with your sauce and I haven't even tried it yet. I just know it's going to better than the sticky sweet stuff with old horseradish.

    Reply
  26. Carolyn Jung says

    August 14, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    Yum! You should serve this at your restaurant when you find the perfect place. 😉

    Reply
  27. alice says

    August 14, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    This recipe is being saved for my next Asian meal get together. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  28. maggie (p&c) says

    August 14, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    These sound lovely! Thanks for pointing me toward this recipe...

    Reply
  29. The Duo Dishes says

    August 14, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    The cocktail sauce needs to be bottled. Sounds perfect.

    Reply
  30. Lisa says

    August 14, 2009 at 3:38 pm

    Yum! Nice photo. I really like that you replaced the ketchup with something closer to natural and the Asian flavors sound fantastic. Fresh and spicy. A great summer recipe.

    Reply
  31. Carolyn Jung says

    August 14, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    Yum! You should serve this at your restaurant when you find the perfect place. 😉

    Reply
  32. alice says

    August 14, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    This recipe is being saved for my next Asian meal get together. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  33. maggie (p&c) says

    August 14, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    These sound lovely! Thanks for pointing me toward this recipe...

    Reply
  34. Lisa says

    August 14, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Yum! Nice photo. I really like that you replaced the ketchup with something closer to natural and the Asian flavors sound fantastic. Fresh and spicy. A great summer recipe.

    Reply
  35. Koek! says

    August 14, 2009 at 5:49 am

    You won't believe this, but I bought some fresh shrimp (prawns in SA) from my deli this morning - and this is the dish I'm going to make! Muchas gracias

    Reply
  36. Claudia says

    August 14, 2009 at 2:50 am

    Good job on re-interpreting this old standard. It definitely needed doing. Now I want to try it myself.

    Reply
  37. Koek! says

    August 14, 2009 at 1:49 am

    You won't believe this, but I bought some fresh shrimp (prawns in SA) from my deli this morning - and this is the dish I'm going to make! Muchas gracias

    Reply
  38. zested says

    August 14, 2009 at 1:08 am

    Another great photo. Love the light and colors. Nicely done.

    Reply
  39. Jenni Field says

    August 14, 2009 at 12:18 am

    Nice reinterpretation, Marc! You've definitely elevated this about 50 stories above the hockey stick/corn syrup combination. 🙂

    Reply
  40. Peter G says

    August 14, 2009 at 12:17 am

    LOVE the Asian twist you gave to this very 70's classic Marc!

    Reply
  41. Claudia says

    August 13, 2009 at 10:50 pm

    Good job on re-interpreting this old standard. It definitely needed doing. Now I want to try it myself.

    Reply
  42. zested says

    August 13, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    Another great photo. Love the light and colors. Nicely done.

    Reply
  43. Jenni Field says

    August 13, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    Nice reinterpretation, Marc! You've definitely elevated this about 50 stories above the hockey stick/corn syrup combination. 🙂

    Reply
  44. Peter G says

    August 13, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    LOVE the Asian twist you gave to this very 70's classic Marc!

    Reply
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