Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail

This easy appetizer recipe is the perfect blend of shrimp cocktail meets everyone’s favorite brunch cocktail. Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail is easily made ahead of time and has tons of wanna impress flavors. Get fancy and serve in lettuce cups, as a stand-alone platter, or in individual cocktail cups. 

This recipe has been bouncing around in my mind for years, ever since I heard Colleen from Souffle Bombay talk about her famous Bloody Mary shrimp. And now that I have Brunch Junkie, a bloody mary-inspired spice blend, I knew I had to give it a try. 

Instead of using a traditional mixed cocktail sauce, this recipe uses a diluted Bloody Mary mix to marinate the shrimp in. It’s the perfect mix of a classic shrimp cocktail infused with the zing and just the right amount of spice of a Bloody Mary. And yes, there is vodka in this recipe, so it is for those 21 and over. Please eat responsibly. 

What you need for this shrimp recipe 

• Steamed shrimp, thawed peeled and deveined. Use medium or large for this. 
• Girl Carnivore Over Easy Spice Blend – for a bright pop of flavors
• JewCanQue Brunch Junkie Spice blend  – this really beefs up the ‘Bloody Mary-ness’ of this recipe. 
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Ketchup
• Vodka – if you can find black pepper-infused vodka, now would be the time to use it. Otherwise, regular high-quality unflavored vodka is best for this recipe.
• Hot Sauce – pick your favorite here if you want to add a deeper smoked undertone use Chipotle tabasco or stick with a classic like Franks to just add heat.
• BBQ Sauce – we used Head Country Smokey Hickory to add a depth 
• Prepared horseradish – make sure to not get horseradish ‘sauce’ but the pure grated horseradish.
• Black pepper
• Celery sticks, onion, and garlic. 
• Fresh lemon juice
• Jewel or bib lettuce to serve
• Lemon wedges for garnish. 

How to make Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail

Start by patting the shrimp dry and then liberally season with Over Easy and Brunch junkie, making sure you coat both sides.

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Then whisk the Worcestershire, ketchup, vodka, hot sauce, and bbq sauce together in a large bowl. 

Add the horseradish and black pepper and stir to combine

Add in the chopped celery, onion, and garlic 

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Squeeze in a spritz of fresh lemon juice and give everything a quick stir.

Next, add the shrimp and toss to coat.

Marinate the shrimp for 2 to 4 hours. 

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Finally, when ready to serve, arrange jewel lettuce leaves on a serving platter and spoon a few shrimp into each, with extra sauce if desired. 

Recipe Tips

This recipe can be stored in an airtight container overnight. Eat the leftovers within a day. Otherwise, the shrimp start to lose their firm texture in the marinade. 

You can choose to omit the vodka from this recipe. Add a splash of water as a substitute for vodka to thin out the mixture. 

If you can’t get your hands on Brunch Junkie but want another festive kick, try using Old Bay seasoning.

To serve these shrimp, look for jewel lettuce or bib lettuce at your market. Arrange the lettuce as individual cups. If you want people to be able to grab and go without getting messy, remove the tails for them before plating. You can also serve in a tray and allow people to serve themselves or in individual martini glasses with small celery sticks for that classic shrimp cocktail look.

What are the best shrimp for appetizers?

For this bloody mary shrimp cocktail, I like to use large shrimp. Big enough for a good bite, but not shrimp that are so big they take a few bites. 

When it comes to shrimp, you want to pay attention to the size, small, medium, large, jumbo. These are typically sold by the pound and it usually says on the package how many shrimp to expect per pound.

With large shrimp, you will usually get 31 to 35 per pound and can portion out around 5 to 6 per guest as an appetizer. 

Unlike our BBQ skewered shrimp or New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, this recipe use pre-steamed shrimp. You can find them in the frozen seafood section of the grocery store or at the seafood counter. 

If you have frozen uncooked shrimp and want to use them for this recipe, simply steam the shrimp with a steamer basket for 4 to 5 minutes until they turn bright pink. You can even steam them right from frozen. Just make sure to check the steamer and give it a shake to ensure every shrimp has cooked through. 

It’s easy to tell if your shrimp have already been steamed or not – just look at the color. Raw shrimp are translucent with a grey color. Cooked shrimp will be white and pink.

More Appetizer Recipes

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