Are you a huge fan of cocktail shrimp? Well now you can ditch the store-brought shrimp and whip-up this recipe in less than 30 minutes. This dish is tasty, easy, and delicious…What more can we say? The shrimp cocktail got it going on!
We are huge shrimp cocktail fans, it’s so easy and can definitely feed so many people…lets dive in! This recipe is without a doubt some of the best shrimp cocktails we have ever eaten.
Best Shrimp for Shrimp Cocktail
Lets talk about shrimp ba-b-y! This recipe is all about shrimp, so hopefully it’s clear that shrimp is thee most important ingredient. But, what kind of shrimp should you purchase? We recommend either tiger shrimp or large wild caught shrimp.
Another important thing to point out is sustainable wild caught shrimp. This is important because its from nature, unlike farm-raised shrimp. On a personal level, I’ve felt ill eating shrimp farm-raised. Anyways, wild-caught shrimp has that real shrimp taste. It’s also cleaner than its farm raised companions.
Where to buy shrimp…
If a local grocery store is having a sale on wild caught shrimp, purchase it. If that’s not the case, here’s some things to consider when purchasing shrimp or fish in general.
- Unless going to the fish market at the crack of dawn. The chances of buying fresh shrimp is not very likely. “Fresh shrimp” in today’s society or at least in America actually means previously frozen at local grocery stores.
- The shrimp labeled wild caught are straight from the ocean. But, once collected from a fishermen they are immediately frozen on ice. This step allows the shrimp to stay fresh once thawed again.
- Shrimp labeled “fresh” in grocery stores is questionable. More than likely it was instantly frozen as stated above. Then, once it reaches a grocery store is placed on ice to thaw from the fish counter workers. So unless going to the grocery store within 1-3 hours of it opening. The shrimp on ice becomes less and less fresh as the day comes by.
- Unless you can confirm the “fresh shrimp” is indeed straight off the fishers boat. It would be best to just purchase frozen wild caught shrimp. This shrimp is not different from the “fresh shrimp.” It just remained frozen during packaging and was not thawed out again.
Making Cocktail Shrimp
Like we’ve said earlier, this recipe is super simple and easy. First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In the meantime, peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tail fully intact. Spread the raw shrimp onto a large baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season well with salt, pepper, onion powder, dried parsley, garlic powder, and a touch of smoked paprika. Make sure the shrimp are in a single layer. Roast the shrimp for 8 to 10 minutes or until pink and firm. Set aside and allow to cool. Enjoy with your favorite sauce!
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Interested in more seafood recipes? Check out the links below:
- Linguine with garlic shrimp scampi
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Salmon
- Seared Scallops with Parsnip Puree
- Smoked Salmon Bites with Avocado & Cucumbers
Cocktail Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Large shrimp
- 2 tbsp. Extra virgin Olive Oil
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In the meantime, peel and devein the shrimp leaving the tail fully intact. Spread the shrimp onto a large baking sheet.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season well with salt, pepper, onion powder, dried parsley, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Make sure the shrimp are in a single layer.
- Roast the shrimp for 8 to 10 minutes or until pink and firm. Set aside and allow to cool. Enjoy with your favorite sauce!