Author: Susanne at Dish With Me
Oh, my! What can I say about this Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail? It is summertime perfection. It is FREAKING AMAZING!!!
I first experienced an Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail in, you guessed it, southern California. It was from a little hole in the wall and it was love at first bite. Like, serious love! Aren’t holes in the walls often the best places to find good food? Well, this place sure was! I wish I could remember the name of it so I could give them some credit. The “shrimp” cocktail that I had was actually a seafood cocktail because, in addition to shrimp, it also had abalone and octopus. It was a bit chewy, but insanely good!
You can make this shrimp cocktail as tangy or as mild as you want it to be. It is always served with regular saltine crackers sprinkled with Valentino’s hot sauce. Just trust me and try it. I am not typically a cracker eater, especially saltines, but this just goes, man, I kid you not. You go order it in a Mexican restaurant and it will be served with crackers and, most likely, Valentino’s hot sauce. Guaranteed.
When I fix this, I don’t fix any sides, like rice, beans, or tacos to go with it. It is hardy enough to be a meal on its own. It is, also, unbelievably filling. Sometimes, though, I will make some of my Homemade Tortilla Chips and Amazingly Quick and Delicious Salsa Roja to go with it. Because chips and salsa are simply always a good idea.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR MAKING AUTHENTIC MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL
Buy raw shrimp. Frozen is fine, but not pre-cooked. The reason is, after you cook the shrimp, you’re going to save and use some of the water the shrimp were cooked in…shrimp water.
Some people use red onion. I prefer a yellow onion, preferably something like a Vidalia.
Clean and devein the shrimp before cooking. To devein the shrimp, first remove the shell and tail and then simply run a knife down the back of the shrimp and remove the dark stringy thing!
I wait to add the avocado until ready to serve.
You can cook the shrimp ahead of time and chill them in the refrigerator, but BE SURE to keep at least one cup of the shrimp water. DO NOT FORGET THIS!!!! KEEP THE SHRIMP WATER!
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL
Ingredients
- 2 pounds uncooked shrimp
- 1 cup V8
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 cup zing zang bloody Mary mix this has a bit of spice to it
- 1 bottle clam juice
- 1 cup shrimp water
- 2 Tablespoons Worcershire sauce
- 1 juice of one lime
- 1 Tablespoon Valentina hot sauce
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro stems removed, chopped
- 1-2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped
- 2 Tablespoons pickled jalapenos finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 20 grinds black pepper
- 3-4 ripe avocados cubed
- **FOR THE SIDE**
- lime wedges
- saltine crackers
- Valentina's salsa picante (hot sauce)
Instructions
- Shell, clean and devein shrimp.
- Make a very large bowl of ice water
- In a large pot, bring enough water to fully submerge all the shrimp to a boil.
- Once water comes to a full boil, add the shrimp to the pot.
- As soon as the shrimp turn pink (this will only take about 3 minutes), remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon to the bowl of ice water. KEEP AT LEAST ONE CUP OF THE SHRIMP WATER!
- Once all shrimp are removed and in the ice bath, pour the shrimp into a collander to drain.
- Place the shrimp onto a plate or in a bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill.
- To a large bowl, add the V8, ketchup, zing zang bloody Mary mix, clam juice, shrimp water, worcershire sauce, lime juice, Valentina hot sauce and give a stir.
- To the liquid mixture add the onions, cilantro, roma tomatoes, green onions, pickled jalapenos, salt and pepper. Stir.
- Add the shrimp.
- Place into bowls or pretty glasses and top with avocado cubes.
- On the side, serve saltine crackers, extra lime wedges and Valentino's hot sauce.