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Raise Your Glass to the Shrimp Cocktail

Is there anything quite so deliciously decadent as sitting down to a table of gleaming silver, white linen, and succulent tiger shrimp ringing a martini glass? While a deceptively simple appetizer, there are dozens of variations on the shrimp cocktail, from the type of shrimp used, to commercial or homemade sauces.

While it's possible to buy the large tiger shrimp already prepared, you may wish to pick up your seafood at the market or order seafood online, and make shrimp cocktails from scratch…or from the shell. In that case, you'll need to do the cleaning, by slitting the shrimp along its back, following the intestinal tract, and gutting it while being careful to leave the shell intact.

The stars of your shrimp cocktail can then be washed and placed on a sheet that has been preheated under the broiler. Broil for two minutes on one side, turn and broil one additional minute on the other side. Remove from oven, and refrigerate immediately. To serve, arrange around the edge of a cocktail glass filled with seafood sauce.

If you prefer, you can brine the shrimp for your shrimp cocktail, by mixing ¼ cup kosher salt, ¼ cup white sugar, 1 cup of water, and two cups of ice. Immerse in the brine and let set for 20 minutes. Remove and wash thoroughly before proceeding to the broiler.

While the quicker route to serving shrimp cocktails is to use commercially prepared sauce, homemade ones are equally tasty and offer a variety of flavors, usually blending such ingredients as chili powder, garlic, hot red pepper sauce, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce.

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