This is my ever-reliable (for me at least) recipe for a classic dish. It doesn’t take long at all and it pairs very nicely with a martini!

This retro classic has had its ups and downs in popularity. It is sometimes seen as a faded relic from 1970s dinner parties. It can conjure up images of grubby menus at cheap eateries with dusty service and watered down drinks, with an ever-present risk of food poisoning.

Nonetheless, when a prawn/shrimp cocktail is done properly, it’s absolutely delicious. It’s also very easy to do well!

In addition to flavour, it also provides an array of textures, including the crunch of the vegetables, silky mayonnaise, buttery avocado and of course, the juicy flesh of the prawns.

Most seafood goes beautifully with a martini, but the additional flavour profile of the condiment-and-spice enhanced prawn cocktail means that it is particularly robust to compete with the spiritual mouthfeel of the martini. So here’s how I do it at home.

I’m pleased to report that this recipe has been served at the UK headquarters of Amazon and no-one died, so it’s hopefully safe for you to try as well.

The Shrimp vs Prawn Debate

Before I delve into recipes, let’s look at the naming convention, because it can cause some confusion. The terms ‘shrimp’ and ‘prawn’ are neither technical nor scientific, but cultural and colloquial.

The species are all decapods (crustacea with ten legs) but the two terms can be used interchangeably. Adding to the confusion, lobsters, crab, langoustine, scampi and crayfish are also decapods.

Some people might consider certain species to be one or the other, often depending on their size or where they live (both the creature and the human).

In the US, the terminology mostly revolves around salt or freshwater habitats. The term ‘shrimp’ usually refers to 10-legged crustacea living in salt water that don’t fall under the crab or lobster category. The term ‘prawn’ is normally used for those living in fresh water, although there are exceptions.

In the UK, we use the term ‘prawn’ to refer to the majority of our ten-legged aquatic crustacean friends, but we usually specify if they are salt or freshwater when we consume them. We otherwise use the term ‘shrimp’ for very small members of the decapod category. This naming convention is also the case in Ireland and many Commonwealth countries.

For the purpose of this recipe, I could use both terms. Indeed, I like to use two different species when I make this. One acts as the “filler” of the cocktail sauce, and the other as the “thriller/spiller” or “garnish”.

The main body of the cocktail is made up of smaller prawns or shrimp, and both fresh or saltwater would do. For the ‘garnish’ species I prefer something larger, a bit more of a showstopper, so it would probably better suit a shrimp in the US or larger prawn in the UK and the Commonwealth.

You want it to look good as well as taste good, but if you don’t have any available, you can use alternatives (see further down in the post for more details – I’ve even got a vegan version).

The Recipe

I’ve put my own recipe below, but there are plenty of recipes out there. I particularly liked this Guardian article which compared several different ones, including from the likes of celebrity British chefs Mary Berry, Delia Smith and the somewhat intimidating Fanny Cradock. You might have your own version.

Which recipe do I choose?

Personally I like to keep it fairly simple, but as I said, I like to use two different types of prawn/shrimp.

It’s a bit like a martini in that one constitutes the bulk of the recipe (the gin or vodka) but it is immeasurably improved by a garnish. In my case the smaller cold water prawns/shrimp fill the sauce, and larger prawns sit atop or even spill over the edge of the dish like a garnish. They give an evocative flash of what the dish contains.

Overall though, use the type of prawn/shrimp that is available to you. I’d be particularly interested to here what you use in the comments below. I’ve had widely different varieties in a prawn cocktail from Sweden to Sri Lanka, the Hebrides to Hoboken. Experiencing the different species in a new location is part of the delight.

I also like the dish to be edible with one hand if possible so as not to distract too much from your martini drinking experience. A small spoon can be helpful, or you can serve the cocktail in bite-size canapé form.

Otherwise, the steps are very easy. There are also loads of tweaks and customisations you can make to suit your own taste but this is how I do it:

How to make a prawn (shrimp) cocktail for your martini

For this recipe, please start with the prawns/shrimp cooked and cooled. The ones going into the sauce should be shelled although you can leave the shells on any that are garnishing the top of the dish.

If you have them uncooked, I find a very quick boil (2 minutes for 250g / 9oz or 3 minutes if you’re cooking them from frozen), then plunging them into ice water is all you need. It’s usually easier to shell the prawns/shrimp after this stage as well.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the cucumber slice garnishes, any shredded iceberg lettuce and larger prawns to garnish.

Ingredients

I’ve laid out the ingredients in the order I arrange them. I start with the prawns/shrimp as you may need to cook or defrost them first, followed by the sauce ingredients to prepare in a large bowl.

• Lightly cooked prawns/shrimp for the cocktail sauce “filling” (around 250g / 9oz / 1 cup)
• Optional extra: lightly cooked medium or large prawns/shrimp for the cocktail sauce “garnish” (optional and dependent on availability/aesthetic but maybe one or two per serving)
• A lemon to juice
• Mayonnaise (5 tbsp)
• Tomato ketchup (1 tbsp)
• Tomato puree (1/2 tbsp)
• Worcestershire sauce (2 tsp)
• Tabasco sauce (to taste – but I like a good splash)
• Optional 1-2 tsps brandy, sherry or vodka
• Optional Sriracha sauce (1/2 tbsp) or Isle of Mull seaweed hot sauce perhaps.
• Paprika (preferably smoked)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• An English cucumber
• An onion (preferably red)
• An avocado
• Optional: iceberg lettuce to shred as a base for your serving dishes

How to assemble your prawn cocktail

Mix the sauce base first by adding the mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and optional sherry, brandy, vodka and/or other types of hot sauce. Stir well to blend.

Juice the lemon. You will only need 1 tbsp of the juice in this recipe so use the rest elsewhere. You can keep it in the fridge and mix it with water for a cleansing drink the next morning, or you can add 1 tbsp water and dissolve in 1 tsp sugar and use it to soak raw onion slices for 30 minutes – these can make a nice garnish for the prawn/shrimp cocktail as well, and they’re good with Danish smørrebrød which you can serve the cocktail on by the way.

Quickly stir in the lemon juice to your sauce.

Stir in the paprika, taste the mixture then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Slice a round of cucumber for each dish you are going to serve and reserve as a garnish.

Cut a length from the remainder of the cucumber of roughly 4″ / 10cm (or approximately the width of four fingers / half a nori sheet). De-seed it then dice it into pieces smaller than the ‘filler’ prawns/shrimp. Stir into the mixture.

Dice the onion into a similar size and stir into the mixture.

Peel and dice the avocado but keep the pieces so that they are slightly bigger than the ‘filler’ prawns/shrimp. Stir it into the mix.

Make sure the prawns/shrimp drained. Consider patting them with paper towel to drain them even further. Stir them into the mixture.

You can keep this mixture covered in the fridge for hours, even overnight if you like.

When it’s time to serve

You can shred or slice the lettuce and line the base of your serving dishes.

You can also serve a leaf or two as a garnish on the top.

Top up the dishes with the mixture.

Garnish them to your preference, using cucumber slices, larger prawns/shrimp and a pinch of paprika.

Sprinkle on some extra paprika if you like.

Additional garnishes

As well as a showpiece prawn/shrimp or two on the top of your cocktail, there are other colourful additions that you could include as a visual garnish.

I include slices of cucumber with mine, especially if you cut them at an angle to elongate the length, because this can make a dramatic, green and crunchy garnish.

A slice of lemon or a strip of lemon peel can also work. This can echo the citrus of your classic martini if that’s your drink preference.

A boiled egg, halved, quartered or sliced can make an attractive garnish.

Certain pickles can work well too, like a slice gherkin, beetroot or caperberry. These go very well if you’re serving the cocktail alongside a Pickle Martini, Beetroot Gibson, Spicy BJ or Filthy Martini.

Bite-Size Service

As mentioned above, it’s good for martini food to be served bite-sized.

A knife and fork is too much for food paired with a martini so your prawn cocktail should be served with a teaspoon to eat with. The ingredients should also be cut down to teaspoon size.

Alternatively, you could serve the prawn cocktail in the form of a canapé. Options could include bitesized rye bread, blini, crackers, oatcakes, croustades, skagen, senbei, mini drop scones or other vessels.

These are black charcoal crackers which I think go perfectly with a martini. They make a good bed for a nicely sized prawn.

You can also serve a little prawn cocktail on rounds of English cucumber for a healthy texture and colour contrast.

Alternatives and substitutes

Prawn/shrimp cocktail is a fairly robust concoction and can be swayed in a few different directions without losing too much of its original spirit, taste and mouthfeel. Here are some alternative spins and ingredients you can try out:

Lobster/crayfish

If you want to push the boat out, a shelled lobster claw or tail can make a very arresting garnish. Either the European spiny lobster, or fresh water crayfish can also make a nice garnish for an elegant prawn/shrimp cocktail. I wouldn’t want to use too much of a precious lobster on the dish, but a little flourish of the claw or flash of a tail can go a very long way.

Squat Lobster can also be very suitable. These are hard to find and I’ve rarely seen them outside the homes of fishing families in the Scottish Hebrides but they’re a very tasty garnish for a prawn cocktail. If you have enough you could even use them as the filler, but I think their flavour is so lovely and sweet it would be a waste to lose it in the sauce.

Surimi

If you can’t get your hands on prawns or shrimp, you can use surimi-based food like crab/seafood/ocean sticks. Simply dice them up and add them to the mix in place of the filler prawn/shrimp. I wouldn’t recommend using them as a garnish though. Use something more aesthetic.

Vegan

This is pretty easy to do and still tastes lovely, not least because of all the satisfying textures and satisfying piquancy. Omit the Worcestershire sauce and prawns/shrimp, but double the quantities of cucumber, avocado and onion and use vegan mayonnaise. I like to add extra Tabasco Sauce for more bite, and you can also crumble or shred in some strips of Nori seaweed as well to give it more of a seafood feel.

I mention using lemon juice, water and sugar to soak onion slices in the recipe above. This makes a nice, visual and piquant vegan garnish for the cocktail as well.

Cleanliness and comfort

If you serve cooked prawns/shrimp, undressed as a garnish, you might also need to provide napkins or toothpicks for your guests to eat the food comfortably.

A decadent finger bowl, or a hot oshibori towel as above can be a delightful provider of refreshing hygiene as well, but it might prove a little too complicated for martini service – unless you run a venue or you have staff on hand to provide these extra touches.

Serving the prawn cocktail in a martini glass is visually striking but might seem a bit over the top.

Nonetheless I did enjoy preparing this ‘Catherine O’Hara style’ and would definitely recommend it as a retro conversation piece, especially around Halloween.

The hilarious prawn cocktail of Delia Deetz in the 1988 film Beetlejuice definitely set the bar for the prawn/shrimp “garnish”.

So pair the prawn/shrimp cocktail with your martini of choice, but try to avoid getting possessed by a demon in the process.

Observing the two martini rule is particularly advisable.

Enjoy – and please share your thoughts in the comments!