My Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail (or Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail if you prefer!) takes an 80s dinner party classic, and brings it bang up to date. A spicy sauce adds depth to this appetiser, and even better, it's ready to serve in 15 minutes and can be made ahead of time.
Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail - A Twist On A Classic Recipe
Traditionally, the sauce in a prawn cocktail is made up of a mixture of mayonnaise and tomato sauce. The ketchup produces a very sweet and artificial edge. To give it a fresher and richer taste, I substituted the ketchup with passata - the sieved tomato sauce contains very little additional sugars and preservatives so tastes much purer.
To get those classic Bloody Mary flavours into the sauce, worcestershire sauce, tabasco and lemon juice is added to give a spicy and refreshing tang.
Is There A Difference Between Prawns and Shrimps?!
For quite a while I thought that prawns and shrimps where the same things, that it was just another one of those things that Brits and Americans have different names for - and apparently i'm not alone! They are different biologically, but for the recipes the two are definitely interchangeable. In the UK, prawns are more prevalent, but if you are reading this in the States and you can't get your hands on any, shrimps will work just as well. If you are curious to find out more about shrimps and prawns, check out this much more knowledgeable article!
Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail - The Presentation
One of the reasons I love creating appetisers is because you can have real fun with the plating, and my Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail is no exception! When I started to develop the recipe, I knew instantly how I wanted to present it - let's be honest, it kind of writes itself! I love the retro feel of presenting it in a large wine glass and it's a great way to impress your dinner party guests!
I also wanted to plate a portion of the Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail in a more traditional way. Using a chefs ring, I placed the prawns neatly on top of the lettuce and cucumber and spooned the sauce over the top and finishing off with a touch of black pepper.
As I was doing some research for this post, I stumbled across a recipe by Jamie Oliver which uses similar flavours, so if you give this a go and like it, you should definitely check out Jamie's Bloody Mary Seafood Platter.
If it's more appetiser recipes you are after, then have a gander at:
Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 3.5 ounces passata (100g)
- 3.5 ounces mayonnaise (100g)
- 1 ½ tbsp worcestershire sauce
- black pepper to taste
- juice ½ lemon
- 5-10 drops tabasco sauce to taste
- 5.3 ounces prawns or small shrimp (cooked and defrosted) (150g)
To serve
- ¼ cucumber
- 1 little gem lettuce
- salt and pepper
- lemon slice
- celery stick
Instructions
- Leaving the prawns to one side, mix the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. Add the prawns and coat well. Cover and place in the fridge until needed, for up to 4 hours
- Chop the lettuce and cucumber into small pieces, place in a bowl and mix together. Leave covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
To Serve In a Glass
- Sprinkle some salt and pepper onto a small plate. Rub some lemon juice around the rim of the glass and roll it in the salt and pepper. Carefully spoon in half of the chopped lettuce and cucumber and then spoon in half of the prawns so the sit on top. Spoon over the sauce. Finish with a slice of lemon and celery stick
To serve on a plate
- Place chefs ring (or circular cookie cutter!) in the middle of a plate and spoon in half of the lettuce and cucumber. Spoon the prawns over the top and remove the ring. spoon over some sauce and use a wedge of lemon and celery stick as garnish. Sprinkle with some black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Marlee says
I love me some shrimp cocktail! I love the presentation!