Easy Mexican Shrimp co*cktail Recipe (Video) (2024)

This Mexican shrimp co*cktail is bursting with the most delicious Mexican flavor of jalapeno, tomatoes, avocados, lime, and a vibrant zesty hot pepper shrimp co*cktail sauce. It’s like a shrimp co*cktail meets a caesar co*cktail and merged the best of both worlds!

Your guests will love having their own individual cups with co*cktail spoons or with a side of tortilla chips for dipping into that delicious sauce.

Serve this at your Christmas party or for Cinco de Mayo alongside Mexican cheese dip, another favorite around here, as a starter to these easy slow cooker pot roast tacos. A festive feast for any occasion!

Also including instructions on a Homemade Clamato Juice, but for convenience sake, you can absolutely use store-bought. Use fresh or frozen-thawed shrimp, adjust the heat to your liking, and serve with or without cilantro. There are plenty of ways to customize what may be the best Mexican shrimp co*cktail recipe you’ll ever have!

It’s served cold which means it’s great for summer garden showers too! It’s a refreshing starter for those looking to serve something a little different than your ordinary shrimp co*cktail. The zing in the flavors comes together in a magnificent bite that your guests won’t be able to get enough of.

Ingredients Needed for Easy Shrimp co*cktail

• Raw shrimp peeled and deveined – Use fresh or thawed from frozen. See below for cooking instructions.
• Ripe tomatoes chopped – The riper the tomato, the juicier it is. The tomato juice is a welcome addition.
• Cucumber finely chopped – Fresh, crispy, crunchy cucumber adds a humble yet delicious component.
• Jalapeno seeded and finely chopped – The seeds are the hottest part, removing them allows you to control the heat a bit more, making it milder, but still adding great flavor.
• Red onion finely chopped – Sweeter and less pungent than other types of onion, so eating it raw is delicious and not overwhelming.
• Tomato & clam juice co*cktail (Clamato Juice) – Use store-bought or make your own (homemade-recipe below).
• Ketchup – Adds a little color and a sweet acidic note to compliment the other tomato flavors.
• Freshly squeezed lime juice – A vibrant pop of citrus brightens everything up.
• Fresh cilantro + more for serving chopped – Cilantro adds a herbaceous element for sure, but I get not everyone loves it. Take it or leave it.
• Hot sauce – This link is to my favorite kind but you can use what you have. Add it to taste.
• Ripe avocado chopped – Ripe avocado is much creamier and easier to eat.

How to Cook Shrimp for Shrimp co*cktail

Step 1: Raw shrimp is grey in color and doesn’t take long at all to cook. You want to keep an eye on it because overcooked shrimp can have a rubbery texture.

Step 2: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add shrimp to boiling water and cook for about 2-3 minutes. The shrimp will turn pink once it has been cooked.

Step 3: Transfer shrimp to a plate to cool and reserve 5-7 shrimp for garnish. Place extra shrimp on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.

Step 4: Chop the rest of the shrimp into tiny bite-size pieces.

How to Make Homemade Clamato Juice

Combine unsweetened tomato juice, clam juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, onion powder, and black pepper in a jar.

Mix well with a spoon (or cover with a lid and give the jar a shake). Store covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

How to Make Mexican Shrimp co*cktail

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the clamato juice, ketchup, lime juice, cilantro, and as much hot sauce as you desire.

Step 2: Into this bowl, add cooked chopped shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeno & red onion. Gently mix until ingredients are well combined.

Step 3: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to chill for a minimum of 1 hour. Make this up to 3 hours ahead and serve chilled straight from the fridge.

Step 4: Serve inside clear glass. Garnish the rim with reserved cooked shrimp and cilantro and a side of tortilla chips for dipping into the sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• For quick convenience use store-bought already cooked shrimp and thaw from frozen.
• I prefer making Clamato juice from scratch because I find the flavors much more fresh and vibrant. Feel free to use store-bought if you prefer.
• Clamato juice can be found at your local grocery store.
• For a little extra crispy crunch, add ½ cup of finely chopped celery to your shrimp co*cktail.
• Serve with some extra wedges of lime in case anyone wants to squirt a little more.

How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp Quickly?

If you’ve forgotten to thaw the shrimp in the fridge overnight, don’t worry we’ve all been there.

Here’s a trick! As counterintuitive as it may seem, thawing them in cold water is actually the fastest way! Submerged the package of shrimp in a bowl of cold water, replacing the water every 30 minutes.

Ways to Use Leftover Shrimp

If you have more than enough shrimp for your co*cktail and you’re looking for some inspiration on ways to use up the rest of them for more great appetizer ideas, start here:

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

Baked Garlic Shrimp

Honey Garlic Shrimp

Beer Batter Shrimp

Q. Do YOU like this Shrimp co*cktail Recipe?

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