Description
Chilled shrimp cocktail shooters are served in Old Bay-rimmed shot glasses with an easy and flavorful 4-ingredient homemade cocktail sauce. Topped with cucumber slices and fresh dill for garnish, they’re a refreshing and elegant small bites appetizer perfect for summer parties, bridal showers, cocktail parties, and more!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12 extra jumbo shrimp (frozen or fresh), thawed if frozen *see note
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon horseradish (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 of an English seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
- 12 small springs of fresh dill
- Old Bay seasoning + water or lemon juice (optional - for the rim)
- lemon wedges, for serving on the side (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them overnight in a bowl or run them under cold water until they are no longer frozen. If using fresh, you can skip that step. Either way, you’ll want to devein the shrimp if they didn’t already come that way (see shrimp notes below).
- Now, steam the shrimp. Fill a pot with steamer basket with about 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then place the shrimp in the steamer basket and place that on the pot with the lid. Steam the shrimp for about 4 minutes or until they are no longer opaque in the center, turning halfway through for even cooking.
- Place the shrimp in a bowl filled with ice and cold water to prevent them from overcooking.
- Make the cocktail sauce. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and horseradish. Cover and set in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. You can also make this the night before to allow the flavors to meld!
- Strain the shrimp in a fine mesh strainer or collander. Now, peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on for a nice presentation.
- Grab two small plates. On one plate, add the Old Bay seasoning. On the other plate, squeeze some lemon juice or water. Dip each glass in lemon juice or water, then the Old Bay seasoning.
- Thinly slice the cucumber and gather your dill sprigs, then build the shooters. Fill each shot glass with cocktail sauce (less than a tablespoon per glass). In each glass, place one shrimp, then garnish with a slice of cucumber and sprig of dill. See the FAQ above the recipe for tips on how to keep the shooters cold for parties, etc. I hope you love these shrimp cocktail shooters!
Notes
- Shrimp: I buy the frozen raw shrimp with the shells and tail still on. The shells help lock in flavor during steaming, and leaving the tails on gives them a classic look for serving (plus you get to save the shrimp shells for shrimp stock)! You can buy them already deveined to save time, or prep them yourself if you prefer (see: How to Peel and Devein Shrimp).
- Thawing Shrimp: If using frozen shrimp, you can thaw them overnight in a covered bowl, then drain and rinse them before steaming. For a faster method, rinse them under cold water until they are thawed/no longer frozen. I recommend thawing them overnight in a covered bowl. Thawing shrimp under water can make them mushy and less presentable (see: Tips for Defrosting Shrimp).
- You can serve the shrimp cocktail shooters with either bamboo appetizer forks or cocktail picks if you wish!
- If you don’t want to do the shooters, this recipe can of course be served the classic way with shrimp surrounding a bowl filled with cocktail sauce.
- In a pinch, skip the homemade cocktail sauce and grab a premade one from the grocery store.
- Tip: Prevent waste and save the shrimp shells in the freezer to make shrimp stock!
- Check out my favorite AVACRAFT stainless steel mixing bowls with tight-fitting lids, measurements inside the bowls, and non-slip bottoms for easy mixing (available in red and black)!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Category: 30 Minutes or Less, Appetizers, Spring/Summer Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
