Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

This post is also available in: Español

So you probably traveled to Can Cun or the Rivera Maya and you had the best authentic Mexican shrimp cocktail you have ever had? well, now you can have the same flavor of the Mexican restaurant’s made shrimp cocktail recipe right at your home. The secret to the best Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is the sauce.

Shrimp cocktail is very popular during lent and summertime in Mexico. It is fresh, with a citric sweet flavor that is going to make feel you right in the middle of the beach.

What I love about the Mexican shrimp cocktail is that it is full of vegetables, and is practically a shrimp salad with a lot of dressing.

I need to warn you that most probably you will need a cold beer with a slice of lime to accompany this authentic Mexican coctel de camaron in English!

How to make shrimp broth for cocktail sauce?

To start with, you obviously need shrimp. I am using 2 pounds of cooked shrimp but you can use raw shrimp with no problem.

For 2 pounds of shrimp add 3 ½ cups of water to boil. Add 1 celery stick, ¼ of an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the shrimp and let it cook for about 4 minutes.

You will know the shrimp is ready when it has to turn into a pink and white color in case it was raw. After the first 3 minutes, you will start to have this amazing smell all over your kitchen. Make this same process if you are using cooked shrimp, even when it’s already cooked it will give an amazing flavor to the broth.

Let it cold down and then separate the shrimp and veggies from the broth.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAMARON BROTH

• 2 pounds shrimp
• 3.5 cups water
• 1 celery stick
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ white onion

How to make Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail?

This authentic recipe will taste like your favorite cocktail de camaron restaurant recipe. We will start by making the shrimp broth from scratch which will give all the flavor to the shrimp cocktail juice.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE

• 3.5 cups shrimp broth
• 2 pounds of shrimp cut into chunks
• 2 cups ketchup
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 3 pinches pepper
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 serrano or jalapeno chopped
• 1 cup red onion chopped
• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• ½ cup chopped cucumber
• 1 avocado cut into small squares
• optional habanero or valentine sauce.

How to make Coctel de camaron with frozen shrimp?

Mix the shrimp broth with the ketchup, soy, and Worchester sauce, and add the pepper and lime juice. Stir well until all the ingredients are combined.

Add the shrimp, cucumber, cilantro, tomato, and red onion to the sauce. Mix all together.

I recommend adding the avocado at the very end so it does not smash while you mix the other ingredients.

Place in the fridge and serve cold.

We usually have the shrimp cocktail with crackers and a cold beer! si señor!

If you are using frozen shrimp just thaw them in room temperature water for 5 minutes and then change the water, repeat until the shrimp has unfrozen. Is very important that before you put the shrimp to cook it is totally unfrozen. Use the same process for frozen cooked shrimp or pawn.

How to clean and cook raw shrimp?

With a fruit small knife cut a line on the side where the shrimp legs are and open the shell. Get rid of the head and tail and now discard the dark vein that runs under the shrimp surface of the back. Is just like a thin line of dirt.

Save the shrimp crust and add it to the water where you are making the broth. This really takes the Mexican Shrimp Cocktail recipe to another level of flavor.

Can I use prawn instead of shrimp in a cocktail?

Yes, you can use prawn instead of shrimp they pretty much taste the same. Although prawn is a bit more expansive than shrimp.

Can you freeze this recipe?

Definitely no. The shrimp cocktail has too many vegetables that until unfreeze will definitely not taste their best.

How long does the shrimp cocktail last in the fridge?

It can last 3 to 4 days and I might tell you that this recipe is the kind of recipe that tastes even better one day after you make them. Remember that this coctel de camaron has to be in the fridge the whole time. You can definitely make this cocktail the day before. Believe me, the flavor will be still better!

Is Mexican Cocktail good for you? Is it healthy?

The good about this recipe is that it contains a lot of vegetables, and is practically a salad in the sauce. The only concern is that shrimp has a lot of cholesterol in them. You might find the publicized as fat-free! but crustaceans need to be consumed in moderation because of the high cholesterol. You can have between 6 to 8 shrimps in your cocktail for the right portion. If you have trouble with your glycemic levels, you might try using less ketchup.

FAQs

Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: cocktail, shrimp

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Author: Laura Muller

Ingredients

Shrimp Broth

• 2 pounds shrimp
• 3.5 cups water
• 1 celery stick
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ white onion

Shrimp Cocktail

• 3.5 cups shrimp broth
• 2 pounds shrimp cut into chuncks
• 2 cups ketchup
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 3 pinches pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 jalapeño or serrano chopped
• 1 cup red onion chopped
• ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
• 1 cup tomato chopped
• ½ cup cucumber chopped
• 1 avocado
• Optional: habanero or valentine sauce

Instructions

Shrimp Broth

• To start with, you obviously need shrimp. I am using 2 pounds of cooked shrimp but you can use raw shrimp with no problem.
• For 2 pounds of shrimp add 3 ½ cups of water to boil. Add 1 celery stick, ¼ of an onion, 2 garlic cloves, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the shrimp and let it cook for about 4 minutes.
• You will know the shrimp is ready when it has to turn into a pink and white color in case it was raw. After the first 3 minutes, you will start to have this amazing smell all over your kitchen

Shrimp Cocktail

• Mix the shrimp broth with the ketchup, soy, and Worcestershire sauce, and add the pepper and lime juice. Stir well until all the ingredients are combined.
• Add the shrimp, cucumber, cilantro, tomato, and red onion to the sauce. Mix all together.
• I recommend adding the avocado at the very end so it does not smash while you mix the other ingredients.
• Place in the fridge and serve cold.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Laura Muller

Laura Muller is a trilingual Mexican mom living in the city of Chicago. Laura started her YouTube channel Las Recetas de Laura more than 10 years ago to teach people how to cook Mexican food in a healthier way. Laura's recipes are specialized for people with diabetes and high cholesterol. Laura promotes healthy eating for every body size and talks about her own experience dealing with being overweight and how people of any size can have an active and healthy life.

Laura creates content in Spanish and English for a community of over 3 million followers and has been recognized as one of the most influential Latinas in the US, Latinos 40 under 40 in Chicago.

Latest posts by Laura Muller (see all)

• Tacos Toppings - January 20, 2023
• Tacos de Barbacoa - January 13, 2023
• Caldo de Pollo Authentic Recipe - January 2, 2023