Roasted Shrimp Cocktail is an easy and elegant appetizer for a special occasion. Roasting the shrimp with garlic and a touch of Spanish smoked paprika gives the shrimp an extra bump of flavor.
Shrimp cocktail is one of the most popular holiday appetizers. This version of shrimp cocktail is one I made several years ago for a friend’s book signing event. I “catered” the entire affair for 40 people at our house, and spent several weeks testing out recipes and preparing the menu until I was satisfied. My son and husband benefited from all the testing, eating appetizers for dinner many nights.
This Roasted Shrimp Cocktail was a last minute addition to the menu. I wanted to make my favorite Garlic Shrimp but that was going to require cooking after the guests arrived. I needed a shrimp appetizer that could be done in a large batch easily and made ahead of time. So, I incorporated the flavor of garlic shrimp with a touch of Spanish smoked paprika into these roasted shrimp.
Roasting shrimp brings out the natural sweetness in shrimp and is a great way to make shrimp in large quantities. It’s a win-win.
For the cocktail sauce, I simply doctored up a bottle of cocktail sauce I found at Trader Joe’s, making it spicier with the addition of prepared horseradish and some of my Ghost Chile Carrot Hot Sauce.
My presentation that night was even prettier than what I show here. I used lemon slices to line the bottom of the platter and laid the shrimp on top. Save this recipe for the holidays – it’s easy, can be made ahead, and makes shrimp cocktail that much more special and tastier.
Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients
Roasted Shrimp
- 3 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined (I used Trader Joe's Wild Blue Shrimp), 15-count
- 1 1/2 tablespoon good olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cocktail Sauce
- 11 ounce bottle seafood cocktail sauce I used Trader Joe's
- 1/2 cup organic ketchup
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons Ghost Chile Carrot Hot Sauce or other hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Roasted Shrimp
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 8-10 minutes, until shrimp is just cooked through. Set aside to cool. Arrange on a platter with a bowl of Cocktail Sauce.
Cocktail Sauce
- In a bowl, stir together all the Cocktail Sauce ingredients.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Ina Garten.
Nutrition facts do not include cocktail sauce.
* Nutrition facts do not include cocktail sauce
If you like this Roasted Shrimp Cocktail recipe, you might like:
Salmon Roasted Beet Feta Salad with Dill Salad Dressing Recipe {Daniel Plan Recipe}
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Now – that book sounds incredibly interesting! I love stories of how people’s hard work pays off!
And, Jeanette, these shrimp sound ah-mazing – LOVE your use of that Ghost Chile Carrot Hot Sauce in this cocktail sauce!
I love hearing about success stories especially when people try to help others succeed too. These shrimp were so good – I’m going to make them for Thanksgiving for my family 🙂
Thank you Jeanette for the lovely recipes. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too Liz!
I love shrimp!!! Wish we had access to more fresh seafood here in Madison.. everything fresh is pretty much flown in from Chicago. . ah. . not like it was when I was living in CA and Seattle that’s for sure! This app looks soooooo good!!! love!
Alice – I used frozen shrimp from Trader Joe’s. Most shrimp in the supermarket is defrosted anyway – it’s hard to find fresh shrimp here too. Hope you try this method of cooking shrimp – it’s so good!
This looks delicious and I love simple to prepare appetizers. Drooling over here!
Loved hearing how all of your friend’s hard work paid off. The book signing event must have been such a great time! This shrimp looks amazing and I love all the flavors in here! The fact that you can make it ahead of time makes it even more perfect for the holidays too 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Jeanette!
The menu is so fantastic and delicious. I have tried this reciepe and the tasty was so yummy. Thanks Jean for the sharing.