Spicy Cocktail Sauce & How to Prepare the Perfect Shrimp

Go to any party and you'll find a platter of shrimp and cocktail sauce.  Go to a party at MY HOUSE and you'll find a platter of shrimp with the best cocktail sauce EVER!  You'll never want to use cocktail sauce from a jar again, once you've tried this version from Mr. Devilish Dish.  It's got just a little kick from hot sauce and horseradish.  You can make it as spicy as you want.  And it'll keep for quite a while in your fridge.  So toss out that jar of ready made stuff, and whip up a batch of this.  Your guest AND your shrimp will thank you!  I've also recently added to this recipe our simple preparation for boiled shrimp.  It's totally worth the effort to buy the raw shrimp and cook it yourself.  The quality is just so delicious, and worthy of dipping into every last drop of this sauce.

This is SERIOUSLY the best 
cocktail sauce.  Perfect for shrimp,
oysters and more!

Look at that gorgeous shrimp and 
cocktail sauce.  See below for how we 
prepare our shrimp.

This cocktail sauce is ideal for entertaining,
especially during the holiday season. 
And with the price of seafood, it's definitely
worth the effort of making a tasty sauce.
Throw out that bottle!

Spicy Cocktail Sauce

1 cup ketchup
4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons hot sauce, or more to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients and stir well to blend.  This can be kept covered and refrigerated up to one week.

Prep Time:  Approximately 10 minutes     Cook Time:  0

For the Perfect Shrimp Boil:

24 large shrimp (21-25 count per pound, raw and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 of a fresh lemon
8-10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Fill a large saucepan about 3/4 full of water.  Add the salt. Squeeze the juice of half of the lemon into the water, then toss in the lemon.  Add the peppercorns and bay leaves.  Bring the pot to a rapid boil over high heat.  Remove from the heat and let the water stop boiling.  Add the shrimp.  Stir and put the lid on the pan.  Let sit for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are opaque and pink.  

While the shrimp is sitting for 4-5 minutes fill a large bowl with 2 cups of ice cubes and fill about half way with cold water.  When the shrimp are cooked, remove the shrimp and immediately drop them into the ice water.  Let them sit in the ice water and cool for a few minutes before draining.  Peel the shrimp, but leave the tails on.  Serve with sliced lemons and Spicy Cocktail Sauce.

NOTE: The recipe for cocktail sauce was originally published on 12/29/11 but I recently updated this post with new pictures and our method for making the best shrimp to serve with the sauce.  Enjoy!