Our favorite shrimp cocktail recipe skips poaching or boiling and roasts the shrimp instead. It’s easy to make and guarantees juicy, tender shrimp every time.
We both love shrimp cocktail and can never resist ordering it at restaurants. It’s such a simple but impressive appetizer, and I know it will always be a hit with my friends and family. Whenever we make this recipe, it’s one of the first dishes to disappear.
The secret to the best shrimp cocktail is roasting the shrimp. It’s quick, hard to overcook, and adds extra flavor from the olive oil and lemon. Once you try our method, you’ll never go back to boiling again. That said, if you prefer the classic approach, we also have a great poached shrimp you can try!
Key Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use fresh, high-quality jumbo or large shrimp for this. I like to leave the tails on since it makes dipping into the cocktail sauce easier and looks nice for serving. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then pat dry with paper towels before roasting.
- Olive Oil: I prefer roasting the shrimp with olive oil or avocado oil for their flavor. I save my extra-virgin olive oil for other dishes since it has a lower smoke point.
- Lemon: For an extra layer of flavor, grate some lemon zest with a microplane and toss it with the shrimp before roasting. You can then use the rest of the lemon for serving!
- Salt and Pepper: I season generously with salt and pepper, but feel free to add more flavor with your favorite spice blends. Our Cajun seasoning is a particular favorite in my household, but Old Bay, or other seafood blends would be lovely.
- Cocktail Sauce: You can use a high-quality store-bought cocktail sauce or make our homemade version below with ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and a touch of hot sauce. Tartar sauce is really delicious, too.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Shrimp Cocktail
Tip 1: Pat the shrimp dry. Damp food won’t roast properly, it steams, instead. Before roasting, pat the shrimp really dry with paper towels. Then toss them with olive oil, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
Tip 2: Roast the shrimp. Spread the seasoned shrimp into a single layer on a baking sheet. Roasting them too close together will cause them to steam and become soggy. Then, roast them until the shrimp are pink, firm, and cooked through (5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size).
Tip 3: Serve warm or cold. While they are usually served chilled, these roasted shrimp are delicious warm, too. To serve cold, transfer the roasted shrimp to a plate and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving these shrimp alongside lemon wedges and cocktail sauce (recipe below), but they are fantastic served other ways, too. I especially love using these shrimp to make shrimp salad or adding them to my favorite salads. I love them on top of this Greek salad, Caesar salad, our orzo pasta salad, or this hearty quinoa black bean salad!
More Shrimp Recipes
Easy Shrimp Cocktail
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These shrimp are simple and delicious. We’ve used lots of lemon and pepper here, but you can customize it in several ways. Try using Old Bay, Cajun seasoning, garam masala, or another spice blend in place of or in addition to the lemon.
You Will Need
For the Shrimp1 pound extra-large shrimp, shelled with tails left on
1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Cocktail sauce, recipe below
For Homemade Cocktail Sauce1 cup ketchup, try homemade ketchup
2 to 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh squeeze lemon juice
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 dashes hot sauce, like Tabasco or Crystal
Directions
1Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2Prepare shrimp: Pat the shrimp dry, then toss with oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a bowl.
3Roast: Place the shrimp on the baking sheet in one layer. Try to leave some space between each shrimp. Roast the shrimp for 5 to 10 minutes until pink, firm, and cooked through. If you are doubling this recipe, you may need two baking sheets.
4Make cocktail sauce: In a small bowl, whisk the ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce together. Taste, and then adjust with more horseradish or lemon. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
5Serve: Serve the shrimp warm or chilled with lemon wedges, cocktail sauce on the side.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep the shrimp in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The sauce lasts for a week in the fridge.
- Alternate sauce: Try homemade tartar sauce!
- Grilled shrimp cocktail: Soak wooden or bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes, then thread the shrimp onto them. Grill the shrimp skewers over medium heat until pink, firm, and cooked through, for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We did not include any sauce.
Would this be good served warm with garlic butter dipping sauce
Yes!
By far, this is the most wonderful and delicious way to prepare shrimp I have ever tasted for shrimp cocktail or over rice with sauteed veggies. Hats off to you! I used coconut oil, and it was d e l i c i o u s! Plus, no mess to clean up those steamed shrimp. Again, thank you so much. I could eat this everyday. This will be my main way of cooking shrimp from now on. It’s just so good!
Should the shrimp be served warm, room temperature or cold?
We like both warm and cold. It’s up to you.
Hi, Can you use thawed frozen shrimp?
Yep!
This looks so simply and DELICIOUS! Love the idea of roasting the shrimp with all that fresh citrus. Yum!
Thanks, Kelly. The lemon does add so much extra flavor.
Roasting is a fabulous way to cook shrimp. Love this recipe!
Thanks Rachel! We totally agree. Roasting brings out so much flavor.