Shrimp cocktail gets a facelift with garlic roasted shrimp and a homemade jalapeno cocktail sauce.
The first memory I have of eating shrimp cocktail was in a restaurant on the Oregon coast. I must have been 5- or 6- years old and my parents and I had driven from Vancouver to enjoy a vacation amidst the crashing waves, barking sea lions, and tufted puffins. As a little girl, the words "shrimp cocktail" inspired great anticipation and excitement. A heaping pile of shrimp, accompanied by a sauce that combined two of my favorite condiments - ketchup and horseradish! To top things off, the waitress at the restaurant took a shine to my 5-year-old self and the stuffed bunny I was clutching on my lap. She became "my favorite waitress in the whole wide world" when she brought a bowl of carrot sticks for my furry friend.
Despite my fondness for this classic seaside dish and, I had never made it at home. If the whether is not warm enough for Grilled Shrimp with a Kick or you don't have time to assemble Shrimp Scallion Dumplings, this is the perfect alternative. This recipe came, unabashedly plagiarized, from Fine Cooking Magazine. When I stuck my pinky into the sauce for a taste, I wondered why I had ever bothered to buy bottled cocktail sauce. Roasting with olive oil and garlic produced shrimp that were flavorful and succulent. My Oregon memories were successfully recreated. Now where is that stuffed bunny?
Please note that the photos do not reflect the amounts given in the recipe because I was making a smaller portion for my family to sample.
The recipe:
The cocktail sauce:
In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup ketchup, ½ cup chili sauce,
2 tablespoons grated red onion (using the large holes of a box grater), ½ teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper, 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, and ⅛ teaspoons kosher salt. Stir well.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
The shrimp:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ pounds jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined, tails left intact) with 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.
Spread the shrimp, in a single layer, on a large baking sheet.
Roast the shrimp for 3 minutes, turn the shrimp with tongs, and roast for a additional 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through.Place the shrimp in a dish, partially cover, and chill for about 1 hour. Serve with the cocktail sauce.
Printable Recipe
Garlic Roasted Shrimp with Jalapeño Cocktail Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
The Cocktail Sauce:
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons grated red onion using the large holes of a box grater
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
The Shrimp:
- 1 ½ pounds jumbo shrimp peeled & deveined, shells left intact
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
The Cocktail Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the cocktail sauce ingredients and stir well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
The Shrimp:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine shrimp with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the shrimp, in a single layer, on a large baking sheet. Roast the shrimp for 3 minutes, turn the shrimp with tongs, and roast for a additional 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque and just cooked through.
- Place the shrimp in a dish, partially cover, and chill for about 1 hour. Serve with the cocktail sauce.
Kalyn
This looks wonderful. My dad is a big shrimp fan, so when the recipe for shrimp roasted with broccoli came out in the NY Times, I made that for him and he loved it! Never thought of roasting the shrimp for shrimp cocktail, but it can only make it better!
Drick
marvelous sauce recipe, love the jalapeno instead of the traditional red pepper sauce...nice and will certainly make it...
Rochelle
Gorgeous shrimp! I'm originally from Oregon so describing it brought back so many memories of the coast there 🙂
KrisKishere
That sounds great! I love the additions you made to the cocktail sauce - I like it very spicy 🙂
Cookin' Canuck
Alison - Thank you!
Pegasuslegend - Yes, this really is an economical way to make this recipe at home. I am not a big fan of raw onion either, so I decreased the amount from the original recipe. It is not overpowering in this sauce.
Lea Ann - Thank you! Yes, this homemade sauce is far superior to any bottled sauce you'll find.
RecipeGirl - I was really pleased with how the roasted shrimp turned out. It's a quick, full-proof way to cook it.
Brie - Thank you! I had fun setting this up.
Brie: Le Grand Fromage
wow, very impressive way to serve shrimp cocktail - love it!
RecipeGirl
Ahhhhh, carrot sticks for your bunny! How sweet 🙂 Roasting shrimp is something that I just started doing. I rather like the way it turns out. I admit to buying cocktail sauce, but there's really no reason why I can't make the good stuff myself! Looks great.
Lea Ann
First of all, that waitress bringing carrot sticks to your bunny is priceless. I do appreciate this recipe as I love shrimp cocktail and can't find a bottled sauce I like. I think I tried to make it once and didn't like the sauce..... can't wait to try this. It sounds like the perfect combo of flavors.
pegasuslegend
This shrimp looks fantastic, and I am a big fan of this one. Eat it everytime we go out for an appetizer...so expensive now cant wait to try yours it looks marvelous! We get some gorgeous shrimp here in Florida....thanks for posting... will just leave out the onion mmmm good!
alison
this looks fantastic!