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 flavours, 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 flavour 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.
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 1/4" 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.
Ninette says
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.
manggy says
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 🙂
diva says
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
diva says
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
Krissy @ The Food Addicts says
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.
Krissy @ The Food Addicts says
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.
Chinese Seafood Recipes says
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!
Chinese Seafood Recipes says
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!
Moana says
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
Moana says
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?.
Marc Matsumoto says
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.
extra large cooking pots says
Please give me more information. I love it, Thanks again.
giselle says
very nice coctail,, i lke to taste it…..
Equipoise says
Prawns are my favorite, thanks for a great recipe.