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Robin Ward

Easy Shrimp Cocktail for Dinner: The Perfect No-Fuss Meal

Savor succulent shrimp alongside blanched vegetables and perfectly hard-boiled eggs, all elegantly arranged on a large sheet pan. Effortlessly versatile and delightfully easy to prepare, this communal feast invites endless flavor combinations and makes any occasion feel special.
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Servings: 4
Course: #maincourse, Dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the dinner:
  • boiling vegetables (Little potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, corn etc.)
  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¼ cup salt
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges
  • 6 cups water
For the cocktail sauce:
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp chile sauce (sambal oelek, harissa)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice (from the cut lemon wedges)
Accoutrements that bring crunch, brightness, or brininess.
  • potato chips, Ritz, any cracker, radishes, celery, olives, pickles (optional to add other dips or a salsa)

Equipment

  • 1 big pot

Method
 

  1. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a big pot. Pick your boiling vegetables. Cut them down to one-or-two-bite sized pieces. Peel and devein 1-pound large shrimp, keeping the tails on. Prepare a small bowl of ice water.
  2. Add 4 large eggs to the water and simmer for 7 minutes for soft boiled or 9-10 minutes for hard boiled, then transfer to the ice bath. Add ¼ cup salt to the water and return to a boil. Boil each vegetable in batches until al dente (taste to check). The longest vegetable (the potatoes) can take about 20 minutes, while snap peas take 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon or tongs to a sheet pan to cool, then repeat with the remaining vegetables.
  3. Boil the shrimp until bright pink, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the sheet pan. If you have room in your fridge, stick the sheet in there to cool everything down.
  4. Cut 2 lemons into wedges. To make the cocktail sauce, in a small bowl, stir together 1 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon chile sauce. Add 2 tablespoons juice from the lemons (save the rest for serving) and season with salt.
  5. Peel and halve the eggs, then add to the sheet pan. Look around for accoutrements that bring crunch, brightness, or brininess and would be good dunked in the cocktail sauce or another dip. Then eat everything right from the sheet pan.

Notes

I rely on this spider strainer not only for this recipe but also for a variety of others. It’s exceptionally effective for safely lifting food from boiling water or hot oil.