Why This Recipe Works

To arrive at the best shrimp cocktail recipe, we began with the best shrimp we could find and then gave them as much flavor as they could handle without overwhelming them. We cooked the shrimp for our shrimp cocktail recipe in a stock made from the shells (which hold a lot of flavor), wine, lemon juice, herbs, and spices, letting them remain in the stock as long as possible without overcooking them. We found that by bringing the stock to a boil, adding the shrimp, and then taking the pot off the heat we could leave the shrimp to "steep" for almost 10 minutes.

Before You Begin

Note: When using larger or smaller shrimp, increase or decrease cooking times for shrimp by one to two minutes, respectively.

Instructions

Bring reserved shells, 3 cups water, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until fragrant, about 20 minutes. Strain stock through sieve, pressing on shells to extract all liquid.

Bring stock and remaining ingredients except shrimp to boil in 3- or 4-quart saucepan over high heat; boil 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in shrimp; cover and let stand until firm and pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain shrimp, reserving stock for another use. Plunge shrimp into ice water to stop cooking, then drain again. Serve shrimp chilled with cocktail sauce.

for cocktail sauce

Stir all ingredients together in small bowl; adjust seasonings as necessary.