Chef John's Shrimp Cocktail

This is exactly like you would expect from a high end seafood restaurant. I know, I worked in one for many years and this is EXACTLY like we would serve our customers! The cocktail sauce is spot on and SO much better than the jarred stuff. DON'T change anything. Use the biggest shrimp you can find.

This was a fantastic way to season up shrimp. I've never done this before and now I will always season like this. Perfect flavor and the recipe was right on.

Thank you so much! Only way I will prepare shrimp cocktail from now on! Only change I made was adding a little dried tarragon instead of fresh. I didn't have fresh. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the sauce is the best ever! So good!

I made the recipe and loved it. I did make a few modifications. First, I cleaned the shrimp itch kitchen shear, leaving the tails on. I heated up the broth water and simmer the shells for 10 minutes. I removed the shells and made the broth per the recipe, except I substituted dried tarragon (1+ tsp) for the fresh tarragon. The shrimp cooked very quickly, perhaps 3 minutes. The other modification I made was the Chili Sauce. I didn’t want to buy a bottle because I doubt I would use it again. Upon looking up the ingredients online, I substituted (more or less) with ingredients I had on hand: 2 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp white vinegar, and 1 tsp Huy Fong Chile Garlic Sambal. The results were perfect!

I made it exactly as directed to see if it was worth the "trouble." When cooking the shrimp, make it easy on yourself. 5 minutes is perfect and don't measure anything. That's what I did. I also used all dry ingredients and man, the shrimp was so good!! Don't change the sauce either. It was just fantastic. I will make this again and again.

Do not make any changes! This is the most wonderful recipe! perfect for Summer picnics and a fancy dinner. I've been making this for years! The only and best way to serve shrimp cocktail!! Thank You Chef John's mom!!

Love it! if you don't have tarragon, use fresh basil leaves.

This was fantastic! I have made shrimp cocktail a few times but it was missing "something". This recipe hit the nail on the head for us and was most like what you order in a restaurant. Only change made was I did not have the tarragon so I subbed oregano. Perfection!

I've always bought shrimp chilled and cooked. Never again! I made these for Thanksgiving appetizers and guests raved over them. Lot's of "these are the best shrimp I've ever eaten!" I bought frozen, raw shrimp from Whole Foods (they seemed to have really good frozen seafood). I made the recipe as written with no changes made. This is a keeper.

Didn't have the full amount of ketchup so reduced everything with a guesstimate and my wife and mom in law loved it.

INCREDIBLE!! Made for company and everyone raved about the homemade cocktail sauce, even my husband whom I affectionately refer to as the "condiment king" declared this the best cocktail sauce he has ever had. The shrimp were delicious, and this method of cooking really takes shrimp cocktail to another level. Thanks Chef John for another amazing recipe!!!

I had guests over so I made more than I thought I needed... Wrong! Every last one was gone so no leftovers for Chef Mathew. The shrimp were so moist and flavorful not a morsel was left and I was worried that the main dish would go to waste!

Fast and easy, and as delicious as in the best seafood restaurant...or better. When searching for a recipe, if there is one by Chef John, it is my first choice.

Fabulous. I haven't had any tarragon on hand yet but look forward to throwing that into the mix as directed sometime soon...and maybe trying fresh dill come garden time - thanks Chef John!

Follow this recipe to the letter and you will take your shrimp cocktail to a whole notha level! 5 minutes was spot on for perfectly boiled shrimp that will melt in your mouth.

This was awesome. I made one change and used beer instead of water. I have always cooked my shrimp in beer and old bay but the added spices really elevated the taste.

I wasn’t impressed by all the work it took boiling the shrimp as it didn’t seem to change the flavor at all. I loved the cocktail sauce although I would not put as much horseradish next time.

Made these for Christmas Eve. Forgot to rate. The boiling broth makes this a HUGE success. Bravo Chef John. Happy to know the secret to fresh and tasty shrimp cocktail.

Perfect technique, excellent shrimp.

I made this yesterday for New Year's Eve exactly as the recipe was written, both for the sauce and the shrimps. The shrimp were the juiciest and best we'd ever had - not exaggerating! Will make this way again and again - love Chef John - he makes me laugh and his recipes are great!

This recipe deserves a Nobel Prize if one was ever offered for recipes. It is the best Shrimp Cocktail I have ever had. The poaching liquid together with the Cocktail sauce is a combination made in heaven.

I had to substitute marjoram for the tarragon (didn't have any on hand), but other than that, followed the recipe to the letter, and it was out of this world! I will be making it again soon and with much more shrimp next time!!!

I tried it this way tonight. I usually just broil my shrimp but I'm tired of that way. The aromatics were great. I subbed fennel seeds for the tarragon... and followed the recipe exactly. Very tasty shrimp. I didn't need to boil them more than about a little over a minute. I used slightly smaller shrimp (jumbo regulars 21-25.

I used colossal shrimp from Publix. They were already deveined. It was fantastic!

I only made the cocktail sauce to put on crawfish po-boy sandwiches. I will never purchase cocktail sauce again! This is awesome! I followed the recipe exactly and used sweet Thai chili sauce. It was spicy and delicious.

It was perfect. The seasoning were great. Quick and easy.

Chef John--The Shrimp Cocktail was a hit! My adult children and their spouse participated in helping with putting the ingredients together. I did let the shrimp set in salt water (not too much salt) overnight in the refrigerator before processing the next day. Do not go heavy on the spices when making the sauce because my grand-babies were not able to try the sauce. Yes, I have grand-kids 6,7, and 8 that loves Shrimp. You can't eat just one.

Best shrimp cocktail I ever had!

I love the poaching liquid and will never use anything else. Also, the cocktail sauce was spicy and delicious. Fabulous recipe.

PERFECTION! I followed the recipe with no changes but used my own cocktail sauce due to the ingredients I had on hand. We loved this appetizer and I will be making it again. Thank you Chef John! "You never let me down!"

Outstanding! The poaching liquid was very creative Chef John (reminded of a crab boil of sorts) and the cocktail sauce...better than restaurant style because it is homemade. For the poaching liquid I like others did not have terragon so I substituted basil and oregano. Overall, delicious and easy peasy!

Seriously, the best recipe. I wish I had had the temperance to photograph it before devouring it. The poaching was key. The sauce was incredible. Hats off to chef John!

this was super delicious.. i loved the poaching liquid.. it was something very different than what i'm used to as i normally saute or grill my shrimp.. i used smaller shrimp so it only took 2 minutes to cook.. had to sub dried tarragon for fresh but followed everything else.. we also really liked the cocktail sauce and found it to be like the stuff you get at the restaurants.. the only modification for the cocktail sauce was using Chili Sauce Recipe (on this site) for the chili sauce.. i usually make my cocktail sauce more spicy and pungent, but this was a nice change of pace.. ty for the recipe

Shrimp has great flavor!! And the cocktail sauce hits the perfect spot.........great amount of heat for me. May have to kick it down a notch for guests who don’t enjoy a lot of spice/heat. But perfect for me

It was awesome,I'll make shrimp cocktail like this every time!!!

So happy I found this recipe . It gave the shrimp much more flaver.

This is actually a question. What is the most time you would recommend fixing this in advance? Is it okay to prepare the day before you plan to serve it? Thanks much!

Love love love this! Have made this several times! Will never buy cooked shrimp again - this is so easy to prepare the shrimp and tastes like the peel and eat shrimp you get in a seafood restaurant!

Awesome recipe

used fresh shrimp (and bottled cocktail sauce) - absolutely the best shrimp I've ever had! wouldn't change a thing!

I will make it again. The horseradish gives it a real boost!

This is pure yumminess. I followed it exactly with the exception of one thing, my shrimp was peeled. We have this weekly now, makes a cool light summer meal.

We loved the shrimp and cocktail sauce. Our first time at homemade sauce and the poaching method. The liquid is so aromatic and adds flavor. The shame of it is to make that liquid up just to cook the shrimp for 5 minutes then dump it. Anyone find other recipes that could use this liquid? Anyone cool and keep it for another batch ? Anyone strain and freeze it?

I love shrimp and this was the best recipe I have ever tried. I made the recipe as written except used dill instead and it turned out amazing. I will definitely make this again. The shrimp was tender and so flavorful. The sauce was great too.

YUMMY! Made this 2x for parties - My mistake 1st time, I used "extra hot" horseradish and it was hot-hot-hot! But everyone loved it! Will make again. Love Chef John

Thanks is a very classic recipe that can't be beat but I'm confused about the shrimp being described as shell-on deviened. There is no instruction to shell them after cooking. I'm assuming that the shrimp should be shelled and deviened after cooking as is common with shrimp cocktail.

I'd never thought to flavor the water that shrimp would boil in but it made quite a difference. Someone recently gave me a cocktail sauce recipe that they loved-I tried it-we loved it-turned out to be this recipe! The entire recipe is now on my radar to make often.

The cocktail sauce is essentially Ina Garten's recipe with a slight variation in the amount of ketchup. It's always been my favorite recipe and does get rave reviews! I do like it better with a 1:1 ratio of chili sauce to ketchup.

Made as written. Shrimp was very tender and perfectly cooked.

Both recipes are very tasty and easy to prepare! Thank you for sharing.

Unreal! Chef John love yah man. Your recipes have made me get my money’s worth out of our fancy kitchen??

I’ve always struggled with shrimp but Chef John’s guidance in this recipe saved the day! I used Jumbo & cooked for 4 mins in the broth. The texture was perfect & the shrimp flavorful despite my lack of fresh tarragon & lemons (used dry and lemon juice equivalent). I already had jarred cocktail sauce so I used that but am looking forward to making the one in the recipe next time!

Best tasting shrimp I’ve had in a ‘cocktail’!

The video shows salt being added to the Buillion, but it is not in this recipe as published. This should be corrected. I added salt to the recipe, where it was added to the liquid during liquid preparation in the video. Thanks!

This recipe takes shrimp cocktail to a new level. Will never make it any other way.

This was so easy and so good! My husband hates when I start looking for recipes but was so happy I took the extra steps to hint this down. I had everything I needed for the shrimp. This is so good I know I will make it again and again!

I made it with no changes. I thought it was good recipe

Loved it and will make it again.

MADE this for New Year’s Eve app. Everyone loved it. I didn’t have chili sauce so I used some chili powder powder . Gave the sauce a nice, different flavor.

Outrageously Excellent! Especially the sauce. I didnt get the flavor of the shrimp alone only because the sauce was addictive.

AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. WOW!

Amazing shrimp!

I made it just as written and the shrimp and sauce were great. I think cooking the shrimp in the shell does give them more flavor. I will certainly make them this way from now on. The cocktail sauce was also excellent. I like a lot of horseradish flavor and it was perfect.

I made the recipe as written with the exception of substituting lime for the lemon. The outcome was delicious.

I only made the poaching liquid. It was awesome just as written!

Best shrimp cocktail recipe ever! The sauce is also awesome.

Great Recipe! My wife was very happy and could not stop eating the sauce.

My first time ever bothering to make my own shrimp cocktail and this was amazing! Even with the hijacks of using dried tarragon and ground black pepper. Son and husband loved.

The shrimp were tasty, but I had several issues with this recipe. First, I'm left handed and it was so much easier to just use the knife to cut the slit in the back of the shrimp. Second, and most important, how long you cook the shrimp HAS to be based on the size of the shrimp. I followed the 5 minute direction, even though I felt like they were done at 3.5-4 minutes, and they were definitely overcooked. I was saved by the fact that I was using them for a shrimp salad so it wasn't as noticeable, but it was still very frustrating.

My favorite & now only way to make shrimp cocktail!

Followed the recipe—made a huge difference. The cocktail sauce is fabulous too

Outstanding. Rivals the best shrimp cocktails I have had at $$$$$ restaurants. I will never try another way again, or settle for store bought sauce.

I've never been a big fan of shrimp cocktail...until I found this recipe. So, so tasty!!! I just made a batch to bring to a party tonight, woohoo!

Was just looking for way to cook shrimp for shrimp cocktail. As I find most of Chef John's recipes really good, I followed all the instructions to cook shrimp. Ingredients sound wierd and had to substitute dry tarragon as no fresh on hand. But the shrimp came out perfect even using jumbo shrimp from frozen bag. Tasted just as good or even better than on any buffet for sure. So worth a little extra effort. And definately leave shell on when cooking.

This is restaurant quality and delicious! While in Rocky Point, Mexico I bought fresh shrimp to bring back to Phoenix. Made this recipe with a pound of shrimp to take to a party and it disappeared within minutes! Glad I saved a few for myself at home

Shrimp tasted great even without sauce. I love horseradish but next time I would use less.

Followed recipe as directed. Delicious.

Great recipe! Perfectly seasoned and oh so tender. Enjoyed! Thanks chef John

My wife thought it was the best she ever had...I agree

This was my first time making shrimp cocktail and it was worth the effort! Absolutely delicious! Thanks Chef John! Your recipes are foolproof! I am a big fan!

5 stars! My first shrimp cocktail and my husband loved it!! Excellent and quick, like an evening in the Florida Keys!

AMAZING! Better than in a restaurant. I made exactly as written for both the court bouillon and the cocktail sauce. I have made this a half dozen times already.

I do it this was every time and it's always a winner!

Great flavor. Shrimp turned out nice and 'crisp' not mushy or soggy. Company loved them. The cocktail sauce had a nice kick to it without being too hot. This will definitely be my go to shrimp cocktail recipe.

I have never made my own shrimp cocktail before I had only purchased it in the store. It is so easy. The homemade cocktail sauce is quick, easy, and tastes great.

Had to substitute wasabi mustard for the horseradish. Was delicious.

Even though I didn't have relish on hand. It was just as good!

Made it as is. Very Good

The absolute best shrimp cocktail you will ever have hands down. I am now requested to make the shrimp for all the family parties. The cocktail sauce is also great!!!

Who ever said that just boiling unflavored water was okay for shrimp? SO WRONG. Chef John's shrimp cocktail made the shrimp taste like it was served in a Michelin restaurant. Absolutely perfect flavor. Be sure to chill the shrimp to make it extra delicious.

Never realized shrimp cocktail could be this involved but it’s definitely worth it. I used to always buy frozen pre-cooked shrimp…never again. I’ve committed myself to working with uncooked shrimp with the shell on; the shell adds flavor no matter how you prepare the shrimp. This broth kicks the shrimp up a little with multiple flavors and when folks see me cooking it this way, it makes me look like a pro! As far as the sauce, this is a great place to start. I don’t have chili sauce so I play around with other dry spices like smoked chili powder, chipotle, ancho chili powder, etc. to get the heat I like.

awesome

This was an excellent shrimp boil. I used bottled cocktail sauce simply because I was out of ketchup! It was still better than the grocery store cocktail shrimp.

This is an update to my earlier review, I neglected to mention the shrimp boil which was great! It had a wonderful aroma while it was cooking also!

Absolutely Fabulous! Thanks Chef.

Cocktail sauce is spot on. Rather than poaching the shrimp, I sprinkle my huge, and impeccably cleaned raw beauties with lemon infused olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper (I prefer ground to cracked in this application), slosh them around in a bowl, and wait for the oven to preheat to 325°. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper, and line the shrimp up like wooden soldiers (don't let them touch, though). Bake for 8 minutes, take them out, and chill them. I bake them the day before. The texture is perfect. NOTE: if the shrimp take the shape of the letter "C", they are cooked - if they become the letter "O", you have overcooked them.

The poaching liquid was excellent and the shrimp tasted the best I ever had. Also simmering the raw shrimp until done and using a cold ice bath to cool - these shrimps were the tenderest I have had. I did not make the sauce this time.

The BEST. I usually buy shrimp cocktail to save time but after making it myself I'll never go back. Made this exact recipe for my seafood loving family - the amount of compliments over a simple shrimp cocktail was worth it. Highly recommend.

Used this as an appetizer on Thanksgiving. It was gone in an instant!