Roasted Shrimp Cocktail With Horseradish Sauce

By Melissa Clark

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail With Horseradish Sauce
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(364)
Notes
Read community notes

Roasting shrimp for shrimp cocktail intensifies their sweet saline flavor and makes them exceptionally plump and tender, with less chance of overcooking than the traditional poaching. Then, instead of being paired with the usual bright red cocktail sauce, these shrimp are served with a horseradish-forward take on a classic French rémoulade, which is both bracing and creamy. It’s best to season the sauce to taste: Adding more ketchup makes it sweeter and pinker; more lemon juice makes it tangier; more horseradish makes it sharper.

Featured in: A Better Shrimp Cocktail Is Closer Than You Think

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 appetizer servings

    For the Shrimp

    • 1pound extra-large (16 to 20 count) shrimp, shelled, deveined if you like
    • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    For the Horseradish Sauce

    • ¾cup mayonnaise
    • 3tablespoons chopped scallions
    • 2tablespoons chopped parsley
    • 2tablespoons prepared white horseradish, plus more to taste
    • 1tablespoon drained capers, finely chopped
    • 1 to 2tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
    • 1 to 2teaspoons ketchup, to taste
    • ½teaspoon hot sauce
    • ¼teaspoon sweet paprika
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

291 calories; 25 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 15 grams protein; 335 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pat shrimp dry. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss shrimp with oil, a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper. Roast until the shrimp turn pink and opaque, and are cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. (They shouldn’t curl up, which indicates overcooking.) Remove from the hot baking sheet and place on a plate or serving platter.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the horseradish sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, adding a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste, adding more horseradish, lemon juice and ketchup if needed.

  3. Step 3

    Serve shrimp with the sauce for dipping.

Ratings

4 out of 5
364 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Elizabeth M, Stow MA

Can you start with frozen shrimp? Should you thaw them first, or put them frozen straight into the oven?

JCM

Do you roast the frozen shrimp?

abbie

Very quick and easy, we loved it! @JCM - defrost (I soaked the frozen shrimp in water for ~10 minutes), pat dry, then roast.

JPK

I toasted some buttered hot dog rolls under the broiler and layered the shrimp and sauce inside. Served with a big green salad on the side, it was a perfect dinner.

MB in NJ

425 for 6 minutes overcooked most of my 1/2 lb. of shrimp. I'm going to pull the shrimp out at 3 minutes next time. YMMV

Lindsay

I've been doing a variation of this for years. Basically: Preheat the oven to broil (high). Put a baking sheet in the oven while you prep your shrimp. Make sure shrimp is fully thawed, well-drained and patted dry. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and Old Bay (to taste). Spread on the preheated baking sheet and put in the oven. Check after 2 minutes. If they're starting to turn pink, flip them and cook another 2 minutes. Don't overcook - they'll keep cooking after they come out!

Martha

Re comment about it just being cooked shrimp so can’t be shrimp cocktail — All shrimp cocktail is just cooked shrimp, but usually poached and with that spicy red sauce you can buy in a jar. The sauce is different here, and the cooking method. But cooked shrimp on a platter a dipping sauce is shrimp cocktail.

MollyK

This is delicious. And roasting is the only way to go with shrimp.

Tracey Culver

Yup. Thawed, peeled shrimp. Pat dry as directed, and proceed.

frankeee

Nice recipe - I've been boiling shrimp for decades for shrimp cocktail, even using the serious eats complex 170 degree method. This is much simpler and tastier .

Jan

Melissa has nearly the same recipe at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015837-roasted-shrimp-cocktail-with-aioli except with aioli sauce. I make shrimp scampi with the same roasting method. Just add garlic, lemon juice and add chopped parsley after roasting.

Tellian

How is this Shrimp Cocktail - it's just cooked shrimp.

Marcy

I’ve been doing this with shrimp for years. I also use the shrimp on top of a huge salad with lots of vegs and feta cheese and olives.

Tracy

We made just the shrimp, step 1. It was extremely easy and really delicious. Next time, we might try a spice mix like Cajun just for the variety.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktal

Delicious! A simply wonderful appetizer.

Nicole C. Memphis TN

This was excellent! I used horseradish aioli that I received as a gift, didn't know what to do with it. Roasted the shrimp in my air fryer so I didn't have to flip them halfway through. Easy peasy!

Rachel

This was super delicious. And easy. Our friends raved about it!

Barbara M in Boston

If you have extra sauce it is fantastic in egg salad!

Julie

This is a great recipe for a show stopper appetizer or a light dinner. Made as is and it’s perfect! Defrosted shrimp prior and cooked for about 3 minutes on each side.

GL

I cooked medium shrimp for 6 minutes, watching very closely. They curled in the last 30 seconds. Next time I'll try to pull them out at 5 minutes.

Alex

Delish and super easy

Mia

This was good but the sauce didn’t have enough oomph for me. Maybe my horseradish was old? The shrimp were delicious.

Cynthia

The five stars I rated this dish is more for the remoulade or dipping sauce than the shrimp because really? How can you rate perfectly roasted shrimp….but the sauce….that was the star here. Hosted a dinner party and guests raved about it! One exclaimed she could drink it! A keeper for sure!

Cathy

This idea of roasting shrimp instead of boiling it is genius. I sprinkled a little Trader Joe's magic 20 spice mix on top with the salt and pepper before roasting. Then I squeezed lemon juice over the shrimp. For my money, the sauce, while wonderful, was an extra that I didn't need. I'm thinking this is the perfect way to cook shrimp for a salad.

debbykc

made this multiple times over the summer---yummy and QUICK!!!!!

Karen

Added a good splash of cognac to the horseradish sauce. Very nice!

Sandragb

Absolutely delicious. Has become a summer favorite when entertaining. I make the sauce exactly as written because it's perfect but I found the shrimp to be a bit bland so I marinate them for just a minute or two in olive oil, lemon juice and some fresh herbs (whatever I have on hand) before roasting. I've also grilled them to avoid heating up the kitchen in summer. The sauce makes a generous amount and is great with other seafood too. Definitely chill before serving.

Linda

I’m a huge fan of this recipe just as it is. After making it half a dozen times - it’s fail proof! The shrimp flavor shines through brilliantly.

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