Shrimp Cocktail

For a crowd-pleasing holiday appetizer, serve homemade shrimp cocktail. It’s easy, impressive, and most likely more budget-friendly than buying it from the fish market. Before poaching the shrimp, Ree simmers a pot of water with aromatics like lemon, onion, garlic, Old Bay, and bay leaf for extra flavor. Then, after stirring the shrimp into the simmering water, she calls for immediately covering the pot and cutting the heat. It only takes 3 to 4 minutes for perfectly pink and tender (not chewy!) results. 

Can you use frozen shrimp for shrimp cocktail?

Having a bag of peeled and deveined shrimp in the freezer is always a good idea, especially when it comes to easy weeknight dinners. You can use frozen shrimp when making shrimp cocktail, just make sure it’s thawed first. If it’s the day before you plan to serve the shrimp cocktail, defrost the shrimp overnight in the fridge. Need a faster solution? Put frozen shrimp in a big bowl of cold, not warm, water. They’ll be ready to go in 10 to 20 minutes. 

How do you cool down shrimp after poaching? 

To quickly cool down the poached shrimp (and avoid overcooking), Ree transfers the shrimp to a bowl placed within a bowl of ice water, stirring them occasionally. Once they’ve stopped steaming, transfer the shrimp to a platter and refrigerate until cold.