Recipes Appetizers and Snacks Seafood Shrimp Chef John's Shrimp Cocktail 4.9 (172) 133 Reviews 20 Photos Cooking shrimp cocktail is easier than it may seem. Before I knew much about food or dining out, I knew that if they brought shrimp cocktails to the table as an appetizer, we were eating at a "fancy" restaurant. I'm sure I enjoyed the shrimp, but what I really loved was dipping the crackers in the spicy, horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on August 13, 2022 Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 20 20 20 20 Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Additional Time: 15 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 4 servings Poaching Liquid: 3 quarts cold water ¼ onion, sliced ½ lemon 2 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised 2 sprigs fresh tarragon 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®) 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1 bay leaf Cocktail Sauce: ½ cup ketchup ¼ cup chili sauce ¼ cup prepared horseradish 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 3 drops hot sauce, or to taste 1 pinch salt Shrimp: 2 pounds shell-on deveined jumbo shrimp Directions For the poaching liquid: Stir water, onion, lemon, garlic, tarragon, seafood seasoning, peppercorns, and bay leaf together in a large pot; bring to a simmer and cook until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. For the cocktail sauce: Whisk ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt together in a bowl; refrigerate until chilled, at least 15 minutes. For the shrimp: Bring poaching liquid to a rapid boil. Cook shrimp in the boiling liquid until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, about 5 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl of ice water and immerse in ice water until cold; drain. Arrange cold shrimp on a platter and serve with chilled sauce. Editor's Note: Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of poaching liquid ingredients. The actual amount consumed will vary. I Made It Print 288 home cooks made it! Nutrition Facts (per serving) 306 Calories 4g Fat 19g Carbs 48g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 306 % Daily Value * Total Fat 4g 6% Saturated Fat 1g 4% Cholesterol 345mg 115% Sodium 1415mg 62% Total Carbohydrate 19g 7% Dietary Fiber 2g 6% Total Sugars 10g Protein 48g 95% Vitamin C 29mg 32% Calcium 175mg 13% Iron 6mg 34% Potassium 702mg 15% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.