Shrimp Cocktail Shooters- Amee's Savory Dish

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Shrimp Cocktail Shooters! A time-honored “fancy” hors d'oeuvre presented individually in elegant glassware with just the right amount of cocktail sauce per plump, juicy shrimp. This classic appetizer is guaranteed to please at dinner parties, holiday events, and every day in between.

shrimp cocktail in mini parfait glasses with lemon wedges

Shrimp cocktail is always first to disappear whenever served. That’s impressive for an appetizer recipe so simple it’s hardly a recipe. Nevertheless, something about pinching the shrimp tail between your fingers and biting off a succulent piece of shrimp dipped in smooth, zesty cocktail sauce keeps you returning for more.

Shrimp cocktail is particularly convenient when you’re in a pinch for a crowd-pleasing appetizer. At a minimum, you only need to serve chilled shrimp over ice with cocktail sauce, but serving these shooter-style adds an elegant edge. In addition, the shooters only take a few extra minutes to assemble, including making cocktail sauce from scratch!

Each shooter gets a piece of romaine, cocktail sauce, a perfectly cooked, ice-cold shrimp, and fresh lemon. This minimal yet beautiful presentation will have your guests wondering if you hired a caterer!

The standard shrimp cocktail appetizer does not have alcohol, but you can make a variation with vodka to get the party started, but more on that in a bit! First, let’s break down the kid-friendly version.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Shrimp shooters are timeless, easy breezy tapas and oh so fancy!
Perfect for at-home happy hours, a new year’s eve bash, Valentine’s day, etc.
It’s healthy! Shrimp is a fantastic low-fat-high-protein snack.
Whole30? You can always say yes to a shrimp shooter with a homemade cocktail sauce with sugar-free ketchup.
This is the best way to use frozen cooked shrimp.

Ingredients You'll Need

ingredients for shrimp cocktail shooters on a counter measured out for assembling

Shrimp (peeled and deveined) – Large (21/25 or 26/30) are a good size. We’ll go over how to cook raw shrimp for the shrimp cocktail below, but you can also use a bag of frozen cooked shrimp. Just be sure to leave the tails on for easy grabbing.
Romaine leaves – I like serving each shooter with a romaine leaf for presentation and function. Romaine leaves are thick and sturdy enough to scoop up the cocktail sauce and the shrimp for the perfect hand-held bite.
Cocktail sauce – While you can use a bottle of cocktail sauce from the store, making it yourself is easy and tastes much better. See below for my easy recipe.
Lemon – One whole lemon should be plenty of juice and zest for the shrimp and the cocktail sauce, but it’s always nice to serve with extra lemon wedges on the side.

If you don't already have them, you can purchase these fun mini dessert parfait glasses on Amazon. They add a nice unique touch to your spread when hosting parties and entertaining.

Cocktail Sauce Ingredients

Ketchup – If you want to make homemade ketchup, please do! But good old Heinz or any decent knock-off is perfectly fine.
Horseradish – Make sure you have a bottle of prepared horseradish, not cream-style. The latter is a sauce made with prepared horseradish and cream.
Lemon juice – Bottled lemon juice will work if that’s all you have, but fresh lemon juice is always the better choice.
Worcestershire sauce – Most cocktails sauce recipes include Worcestershire. It doesn’t take much to enhance the umami taste.
Salt – Sea salt, if you have it, but any salt is okay.
Tabasco – Tabasco delivers a distinctive fiery tang, but feel free to add a kick with types of cayenne pepper sauce.

How To Make Shrimp Cocktail Shooters

Step 1: Make the cocktail sauce. Mix ketchup, horseradish, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, a dash of Tabasco, and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. Cover and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to assemble the individual shooters.

Step 2: Assemble shooters. Place a romaine leaf, cut side down, in each glass, then add a generous tablespoon of cocktail sauce. Add shrimp, tail side facing up. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and zest. Eat right away or keep chilled until party time.

four mini parfait glasses with shrimp, cocktail sauce, lemon zest, and a romaine leaf

Recipe Tips

To cook shrimp, bring just enough salted water to cover the shrimp to a boil in a large pot. Add shrimp and boil until pink and opaque (1-2 minutes). Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process and chill.
Shrimp cocktail is meant to be enjoyed ice cold, so if you aren’t eating them immediately, keep the shooters over ice for guests to grab as they please.
If you’re using a bag of frozen cooked shrimp, defrost it in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, give the shrimp a quick rinse under cold running water and dry well.
A piping bag with a large tip is helpful for filling the mini glasses with cocktail sauce. You can also use a small spoon.

Variations

Shrimp cocktail with avocado – The simplicity is part of the appeal, so I don’t recommend deviating too far from chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce. That is unless you want to serve the shrimp cocktail with avocado or guacamole. In which case, that’s a great idea!

Shrimp shooter shooters – Shooting vodka and cocktail sauce may be a bit much, but shooting a mini bloody mary and then biting into a juicy shrimp? DELICIOUS! To make it easy, use a pre-made bloody mix.

What To Serve with Shrimp Cocktail

If you’re looking for other appetizers to serve with shrimp shooters, this list of easy tapas recipes is a great place to start!

Storing & Freezing

Storing – You can wrap the assembled shooters tightly with plastic wrap or keep the ingredients stored separately in airtight containers in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Freezing – You also freeze the shrimp (just the shrimp!) if never frozen. Freeze in an airtight freezer-safe bag for 2-3 months. Let thaw in the fridge before serving.

Recipe FAQs

What is the best size shrimp to use for a shrimp cocktail appetizer?

I like using large shrimp, no smaller than 26/30, but when it comes to shrimp, the bigger, the better.

What type of glassware should I use?

Mini dessert parfait glasses are just the right size, plus they’re perfect for smoked salmon shooters and different layered desserts. I love the whimsical touch mini parfait glasses bring to an otherwise straightforward appetizer, but you can use other small glasses, of course.

If you feel like shopping, stores like Marshalls and HomeGoods always have an excellent selection of drinkware at a great price.

How do you keep shrimp shooters from getting soggy?

The shrimp must stay ice cold, so keep the shooters on ice or in the fridge if you aren’t eating immediately after assembly. Head to this simple shrimp cocktail presentation guide for more tips on keeping shrimp cocktail cold for hours

More Shrimp Appetizer Recipes

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Amee Livingston

Hi, I'm Amee and I'm completely obsessed with all things fitness, recipe makeovers, and creating tasty, time-saving, recipes. Born and raised in South Carolina, I have a deep love for southern food culture. I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, Cancer Exercise Specialist, recipe developer, and freelance content creator. I believe that anyone can be an amazing home cook, and there's nothing better than family time around the table!