This Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Chimichurri & Cocktail Sauce is a fresh a spicy update to the classic appetizer! Homemade cocktail sauce and chimichurri are delicious accompaniments. The secret is in how you prep your shrimp: roast them! You’ll never make shrimp cocktail another way…promise.
Shrimp Cocktail
Is there a more classic and well-loved appetizer? Didn’t think so.
I love shrimp. Any shellfish, really. One issue. Shrimp is so easy to overcook. Ever had a piece of shrimp – whether in cocktail form or served with pasta – that is so… chewy? It’s so rubbery that it doesn’t even taste like shrimp?
Yea, me too.
Honestly though, I didn’t know any better! I mean, I had had great shrimp before, but I never knew what made fresh shrimp so much better than the frozen, pre-cooked variety that I bought myself.
Until I roasted it!
Why You Should Roast Your Shrimp
Fireworks! Magic! Flavorbomb.com! The shrimp actually burst when I bit into it. It’s juicy, soft, and tastes like the sea. How it SHOULD taste!
As I previously mentioned, it can be really easy to overcook shrimp. How many recipes have you read where you’re directed to cook the shrimp, “until they just turn pink”? A lot! That’s why we cook this roasted shrimp cocktail at a high temp for a short amount of time.
Sauces To Serve With Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Ready to take this appetizer to the next level (as if it needs it)? Try this chimichurri and homemade cocktail sauce (you don’t need that jarred stuff!).
Chimmichurri is an Argentinian sauce that is jam-packed with flavor. It’s traditionally known to be a sauce served with grilled meats (PARTICULARLY excellent over steak), but I thought it would make a killer dipping sauce for shrimp. And was it ever.
Parsley, cilantro, shallot, lemon, and garlic are blended with a few other ingredients to make this magic sauce happen.
And then there’s the cocktail sauce. I’m a sucker for this classic. This version gets turned up with the addition of a spicy condiment. As if it needs any help with that though…horseradish already gives that “my sinuses are about to explode” feeling, when taken in the right dose.
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Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Chimichurri & Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 1 lb raw, tail-on, peeled, deveined jumbo shrimp thawed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
For the chimichurri:
- 1 cup parsley
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 shallot
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
For the cocktail sauce:
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 2 Tbsp fresh horseradish
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Instructions
For the shrimp:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees,
- Toss the thawed shrimp with olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Add shrimp to foil lined baking sheet, and roast for 8 minutes. Watch the shrimp - you want to roast them until they JUST turn pink.
- Let slightly cool. Once they're not piping hot, move to the refrigerator to really cool down.
For the chimmichurri:
- Add all ingredients to blender or food processor. Blend until combined - you'll want it a little chunky.
For the cocktail sauce:
- Mix ketchup, garlic chili sauce, horseradish, and lemon juice to combine.
- Serve cold shrimp with chimmichurri, cocktail sauce, and fresh lemon slices.