Shrimp Cocktail Recipe with Sriracha Remoulade

What is Shrimp Cocktail?

Shrimp cocktail, which is simply cooked shrimp served in a glass with a “cocktail” sauce was the height of elegance and the most popular appetizer served in restaurants from the early 1960’s into the 1980’s. It’s still a party classic today!

What is Shrimp Remoulade?

Shrimp remoulade is a classic New Orleans appetizer that appears to have been created in the early 20th century by a chef at Arnaud’s. It’s simply boiled shrimp tossed with remoulade and served over fresh lettuce greens. Now known as Shrimp Arnaud, it’s still on the menu there today.

Remoulade is a cold sauce/condiment that has its origins in France, which is probably why it’s so popular in Creole cooking because that cuisine has roots with French settlers in the New Orleans area. It most closely resembles tartar sauce which is classically paired with fish and seafood.

Remoulade always has a mayonnaise base with something pickled such as cornichons or capers added. Other ingredients often include herbs, garlic, scallion, mustard, Worcestershire, horseradish and ketchup.

Why This Recipe is a Keeper!

This Shrimp Cocktail Recipe with Sriracha Remoulade is a combination of two classic appetizers–shrimp cocktail and shrimp remoulade.

Here, shrimp are tossed with a sriracha remoulade, nestled into a lettuce and celery leaf-lined glass with avocado, lemon wedges and a sprinkling of capers for a show-stopping and impressive starter.

Best of all, Shrimp Cocktail with Sriracha Remoulade:

• Comes together in about 30 minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand.
• The remoulade can be made ahead and pairs beautifully with so many other things like my Crab-Stuffed Shrimp!

How to Make Shrimp Cocktail with Sriracha Remoulade:

Recipe Ingredients:

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this recipe. See the shrimp cocktail recipe card below for the exact quantities.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

• Mayonnaise: We love Duke’s, which is considered the mayonnaise of the South, but you can use your favorite. A reduced-fat mayonnaise will work if you want to save some fat grams and calories. However, remember that reduced-fat products often have more additives than full-fat.
• Sriracha hot sauce: Preferred here, but any hot sauce will work.
• Coarse-grain mustard: Also referred to as coarse-ground, stone ground, or whole-grain, coarse-grain mustard has a chunky texture with plenty of whole mustard seeds and a rich, deep flavor.
• Capers: Capers are the caper bush’s green, unripened flower buds. They’re available near the pickled products area of your grocery store. No capers? No problem! You can use chopped pickles instead.
• Lemon juice: Fresh is always best!
• Celery leaves: Celery stalks are often used in remoulade. However, just like in my popular Cream of Celery Leaf and Scallion Soup, I’m always on the lookout for ways to use celery leaves. This recipe is a great way to use them and to keep kitchen waste down.
• Shrimp: You’re already off to the races if you can find peeled and deveined wild-caught shrimp.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

• Gather, prep, and measure all the ingredients.
• Simply mix all the ingredients for the sriracha remoulade together! Refrigerate until needed so the flavors have a chance to get to know each other.
• You can add salt and black pepper, but keep in mind many of the ingredients in the remoulade are already salty.
• MAKE AHEAD:  The remoulade can be made 1 day ahead of time and refrigerated.  You can make the shrimp ahead of time, too, but store them separately as the acid in the remoulade may toughen the shrimp.

• Gather and prep the remaining ingredients. As you can see, it’s just shrimp, lettuce, avocado, lemon wedges and more celery leaves.
• Boil the shrimp in salted water and season it with black pepper.
• Cut lemon wedges.
• Use Bibb, butter lettuce, or baby Romaine, and celery leaves to line the glasses.
• Cut avocado wedges right before serving.
• Toss the shrimp with the remoulade.

• And assemble the shrimp cocktails! Give your guests seafood/cocktail forks if you have them. Otherwise, a salad fork will do!

So fun, this shrimp cocktail recipe is delicious and the perfect cold appetizer for a hot summer day!

Chef Tips and Tricks:

• Wild-caught shrimp from U. S. waters is always the best shrimp to buy! (Check out the link for all the information on American wild-caught shrimp.) In short, the texture is far superior to imported farmed shrimp. It’s a sustainable seafood choice and supports U.S. jobs.
• If you need to peel and devein shrimp, the quickest way I have found to do that is to:
  • Use kitchen shears to cut the shell. Without setting the shears down in between handling each individual shrimp (in other words–do ALL the cutting first), cut the top shell of all the shrimp up to the tail part, allowing the tip of the shear to slit an opening as you cut to enable removal of the vein.
  • Then, under gently running tap water, separate the shell where you cut with the shears, then remove the vein, shell, and legs.
  • You may wish to leave part of the tail on for presentation purposes if you intend to “hang” the shrimp on the rim of the glass.
  • You can also use a paring knife, but I find kitchen shears to be less clumsy.

Serve as a starter with:

• Buttery Blackened Steak Bites with Gorgonzola
• Easy Red Beans and Rice Recipe
• Baked Catfish Pecan Meuniere with Spicy Sauteed Greens
• Pecan-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Mustard Sauce
• Cajun-Smothered Pork Medallions

More shrimp appetizers you’ll love!

• Shrimp Cocktail Louis
• Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese
• Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
• Shrimp Cakes with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Mayonnaise

Get all my appetizer and snack recipes at Appetizer and Snack Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen