Shrimp Cocktail: Make This Go-To Party Appetiser From Scratch
Shrimp Cocktail is a classic party appetiser that will never go out of style! It is extremely easy to make, involves a bit of cooking but tastes supremely delicious - a perfect dish to serve when you have to plan a party at the last minute. Check out its recipe below.
Ingredients
Court Bouillon (The broth to poach seafood)
400 ml cold water
1/3rd of medium Carrot, quartered
1/3rd Celery Stalk, quartered
handful of quartered Large Onion,
2 cloves of garlic, halved
Quarter of Lemon
Handful of Parsley
A sprig of fresh Thyme
1/3rd of Bay leaf
Shrimp:
30 gms Medium Or Large Shrimp, in the shell, rinsed
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
Cocktail Sauce:
40 ml Ketchup
Half of a quartered Lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
1/2 teaspoon prepared Horseradish, or to taste, drained
Drop of Worcestershire sauce
Hot Sauce, to taste
Directions
Cocktail Sauce:
Take a small bowl and add ketchup, lemon zest and juice, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well to combine. Add hot sauce, if desired. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Court Bouillon And Shrimp
Add water, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, lemon, parsley, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Now, lower the flame so that the contents simmer. Place a cover on the top but keep it slightly ajar. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp to the mixture and turn off the heat. Let the shrimp cook, keep stirring occasionally till they curl and turn pink. Now, drain the water and let the contents cool to room temperature. Peel the shrimp and remove the vein along the curve of the shrimp. Keep it in the fridge if you are not ready to serve. If you are serving the refrigerated shrimp, bring it to room temperature 20 minutes before serving.
Serving:
Take a medium-sized bowl and add shrimp to it. You can also use a cocktail glass and loop the shrimp on the glass' edge. Top with sauce. Garnish with lemon and serve
Pairing Shrimp Cocktail With Alcohol
Shrimp Cocktail goes well with crisp and refreshing white wines. Muscadet, Riesling, Prosecco, Torrontés, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are the types of white wine that will elevate the experience of having the dish.
Side Dishes With Shrimp Cocktail
Serve simple side dishes which are bold in flavour with shrimp cocktail. Cheese straws, mango habanero salad, hushpuppies, and tortilla chips make for the right side dishes with this appetiser.
Main Courses To Complete The Meal
Serve other classics for the main course when you are serving shrimp cocktail. You can choose from meat dishes such as beef Wellington, steak and chips, spicy salmon or a vegetarian dish like the new potato traybake.
Trivia
Shrimp cocktail started as an alcoholic drink! It used to be made with spirits combined with other sweet ingredients such as fruit juice or cream. But gradually it was stripped off its alcoholic content and sweetness to become a popular savoury appetiser.
Did you know that there is a heated debate among American and British foodies about the origin of shrimp cocktail? The Brits believe that the dish was invented in England, whereas Americans claim that shrimp cocktail has a true-blue red, white and blue origin. The Brits are likely to believe that the appetiser was invented in their nation due to its massive popularity there. But the truth is, it is more likely that the shrimp cocktail was created in the USA's San Francisco city.
