Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

If you’re looking for a refreshing and delicious appetizer or light meal, look no further than this Mexican Shrimp Cocktail recipe! With a flavorful blend of fresh ingredients and a tangy kick of hot sauce, this dish is sure to impress.

What Ingredients are needed to make Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

First, you’ll need to gather your ingredients. You’ll need one pound of medium-sized shrimp, either raw or cooked, as well as kosher salt, red onion, cucumber, celery, jalapeño, whole peeled tomatoes, ketchup, cilantro, lime juice, hot sauce, and avocado. If you’re using raw shrimp, you’ll need to peel and devein them before cooking.

How to make Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

To cook the shrimp, you have two options. You can either boil them in salted water for 2-3 minutes until just cooked through, or for an extra flavorful twist, you can boil the shrimp in a pot of salted water with the shrimp shells to create a shell stock. Once the shrimp are cooked, cut half of them into large chunks and leave the other half whole.

Next, combine the chopped shrimp, red onion, cucumber, celery, jalapeño, tomatoes, ketchup, cilantro, lime juice, and hot sauce in a bowl. Stir to combine, then chill the mixture. Once it’s chilled, add a little bit of the cooled shrimp cooking water to achieve the desired consistency.

Before serving, season with additional salt and hot sauce to taste. Add chopped avocado and mix gently. Finally, arrange the whole shrimp on top of the mixture and serve in parfait glasses or small bowls, along with tortilla chips on the side.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound of raw or pre-cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• hot sauce
• salt
• 1 avocado, chopped
• tortilla chips

Directions

1. If you’re using raw shrimp, peel and devein them. If you have a little extra time, you can make a shrimp stock by boiling the shells in salted water and using that to cook the shrimp. Otherwise, just boil the shrimp in salted water for 2-3 minutes until they’re just cooked through. Reserve a cup of the cooking water and chill it.
2. Cut half of the cooked shrimp into large chunks and leave the other half whole. Put the chopped shrimp in a bowl with the onions, cucumber, celery, jalapeño, tomatoes, ketchup, cilantro, lime juice, and hot sauce. Gently stir to combine. Chill.
3. Once the cooking water has cooled to at least room temperature, add a little at a time to the shrimp cocktail until it reaches the consistency you want. Use clam stock or lightly salted water if you’re starting with pre-cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp.
4. Add salt and more hot sauce to taste, and gently mix in the chopped avocado. Dip the whole shrimp in the cocktail and arrange them on top.
5. Serve the shrimp cocktail in parfait glasses or small bowls with tortilla chips on the side.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe serves four as an appetizer or two as a light meal. If you’re entertaining a larger group, simply double or triple the recipe as needed.

Cook’s Notes:

• To save time, you can use pre-cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp instead of raw shrimp.
• If you don’t have access to fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes instead.
• If you prefer a milder flavor, you can omit the jalapeño or use less hot sauce.
• This dish is best served chilled, so make sure to chill it thoroughly before serving.

Nutrition Information