Whether having a quick bite before a few rounds of drinks or trying to impress a girl who came by for dinner, shrimp cocktail is the way to win over any girl, your friends, and even family. Believe it or not, it’s one of the easiest dishes you could possibly cook. Here’s how…

Pick the Right Shrimp

The first thing you need is obviously shrimp. You want to look for large shrimp with the shell still on. By cooking the shrimp with the shell on and being unpeeled, you will enhance the flavor and bring out the delicious taste of the next step.

Add Some Flavor

Next, you have to add the flavor. In a large bowl, just mix 1 cup of water with about 2 ounces of salt and 2 ounces of sugar. Stir the salt and sugar until they dissolve. After dissolved, add about 2 cups of ice and dump the shrimp into that. Refrigerate for 20 to 25 minutes.

Get Sauced

While the shrimp are in the fridge, you can make a flavorful sauce by simply grabbing a food processor or blender and tossing in diced tomatoes (10-14 ounces), a half cup of chili sauce, a quarter cup of horseradish, 1 tablespoon of sugar, a half tablespoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Process or blend this mixture until it’s smooth and then refrigerate.

Don’t Boil, Broil the Shrimp

Now, the easy way to do shrimp cocktail is to boil it in water for 2 to 3 minutes, but we’re going to take a gourmet approach that’ll have everything much tastier which will result in you being bombarded with compliments all night. Pre-heat a baking sheet under the broiler for five minutes.  You wanted to be about 8 inches under the broiler and be sure to line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Next, rinse the shrimp, pat them dry, and throw them in a bowl with one tablespoon of olive oil. Put the shrimp on your baking sheet to broil. Leave them in there for about two minutes, then flip them over for one additional minute to cook them evenly. As they broil, wash the bowl that you just used and toss it in the freezer.

Cool Down the Shrimp

Within minutes the shrimp will be ready, so you can transfer them to your now chilled bowl that’s been sitting in the freezer. Mix up the shrimp and put the bowl back in the freezer mixing it every few minutes or until the shrimp have been completely cooled down. Within 15 minutes you have cold refreshing shrimp that’s ready to serve with your tasty sauce.

Garnish

By sprinkling some parsley flakes on top of the shrimp, it’ll look nice and have a nice little flavor boost. You can also squeeze a fresh lemon on top or leave some lemon slices for your guests to use themselves.

In a Huge Rush?

This is a gourmet recipe that will help you impress and it should only take minutes until the food is on a plate, ready to be served. If you’re in much more of a rush, you could buy frozen raw shrimp and toss them in some boiling water until pink/orange and serve with some store-bought cocktail sauce.