Chilled boiled shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce

When the temperature soars the last thing in the world I want to eat is something hot OR something that requires turning on the stove/oven for more than a few minutes. This is what we eat most weekends and it’s fabulous! It couldn’t be easier either…it’s just boiled shrimp that has been chilled along with a homemade (always the best) cocktail sauce. If we’re really hungry that day we’ll pair it with some pimiento cheese and wheat crackers. Ohhh, our favorite summertime meal!  If you’ve never boiled shrimp before read on! If you have, then I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

 

Start with fresh local shrimp if at all possible. It’s truly the best!

 

If it’s a meal we usually get a pound of shrimp. Clean and devein it (or buy it that way!!)

Turn on a large pot of water, add a tablespoon of salt, once the water is boiling, add the uncooked shrimp.

Watch it until it turns bright pink, the size we get is I would say medium size and takes about 4 minutes… a little less for smaller shrimp a little more for larger shrimp. Medium sized is a good size for shrimp cocktail.

Now drain the shrimp and run cold water to stop the cooking process.

I then dump into a very cold bowl of water (water and ice) and let sit until shrimp is cold (few minutes). I also throw a lemon that I sqeezed into the the cold bowl of water.

While this is chillin’, make the sauce:

Into a little bowl pour between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup ketchup (more or less depending upon how much cocktail sauce that you want to end up with). Then I squeeze a wedge of lemon and 2-3 spoonfuls (heaping, but depending on how you like it) horseradish, the good kind, the REAL horseradish, not a sauce with horseradish in it… pinch of salt and pepper, stir it together, put into a ramekin or small serving dish and stick it in the fridge.

 

Now empty the bowl of water and put the shrimp in a bowl (without water or ice), then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until you’re ready to eat… you will not believe how good this is and how QUICK!

 

ENJOY! Catch you back here tomorrow!