Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Sauce

This Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Sauce recipe is the kind of thing that becomes a weekly staple without you even trying. Perfectly poached shrimp with a homemade spicy horseradish cocktail sauce. Ready in about 20 min.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Perfectly poached shrimp with a homemade spicy horseradish cocktail sauce. It is the kind of dish that looks like you put in way more effort than you did, which honestly is my favorite kind of cooking. Whether you are feeding your family on a Tuesday or bringing something to a gathering, this one always lands.

Ingredients

• large shrimp
• ketchup
• horseradish
• lemon juice
• Worcestershire
• hot sauce

How to Make It

Get everything prepped and measured before you start — it makes the whole process so much smoother. Then just follow the recipe card below for the full step-by-step with exact amounts and timing. The recipe card is your best friend here.

Shop This Recipe

A few of my kitchen favorites that make this recipe even easier (these are affiliate links — thank you for supporting the blog!):

• Quality Ketchup
• Prepared Horseradish
• Lemon Juicer

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Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Sauce

Perfectly poached shrimp with a zesty homemade cocktail sauce. A classic party starter.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the shrimp

• 1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce

Method

 

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil with the lemon, salt, and bay leaf.
2. Add the shrimp and poach until pink and just cooked, about 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water.
3. Stir together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.
4. Chill both the shrimp and the sauce until cold.
5. Arrange the shrimp around a bowl of the cocktail sauce and serve.

Notes

The ice bath stops the cooking and keeps the shrimp snappy. Adjust the horseradish to your heat preference.

Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Sauce

Perfectly poached shrimp with a zesty homemade cocktail sauce. A classic party starter.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Drinks

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the shrimp

• 1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce

Method

 

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil with the lemon, salt, and bay leaf.
2. Add the shrimp and poach until pink and just cooked, about 2 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice water.
3. Stir together the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.
4. Chill both the shrimp and the sauce until cold.
5. Arrange the shrimp around a bowl of the cocktail sauce and serve.

Notes

The ice bath stops the cooking and keeps the shrimp snappy. Adjust the horseradish to your heat preference.