Shrimp Cocktail Near You

Why Do They Call It a Shrimp Cocktail?

For all of you seafood lovers out there, we have a special dish for you today - the famous shrimp cocktail!

Also known as a prawn cocktail, this awesome appetizer is made of prawns and a cocktail sauce. And it is served in a glass.

In the United States, the shrimp cocktail sauce typically consists of ketchup and horseradish. Though ingredients such as lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, and Worcester sauce can be added as well.

As for countries such as Britain, France, Italy, and others, it is usually made of mayonnaise and tomato sauce. In fact, in Britain, this kind of sauce is better known as Marie Rose sauce.

The preparation method includes cooking the shrimp until it turns pink and chilling it before it is served. From there, it is assembled together with the cocktail sauce.

Who Invented the Shrimp Cocktail?

Combining seafood with a sauce has been a thing for a long time. In America, these kinds of dishes started to become popular towards the end of the 19th century.

And it was probably during the prohibition period in the 1920s when people started serving it in glasses.

Still, it was a few decades later, in the 1950s, that the shrimp cocktail really gained popularity.

This is when casinos in Las Vegas sold tons of it. For example, the Golden Gate Casino were selling 2 000 cocktails on average every day. And for very cheap, too.

In the following decade, the dish also became famous in Britain. This was thanks to Fanny Cradock, a notable British chef.

Auguste Escoffier, an important figure in the history of French cooking, was also mentioned as an influence on the shrimp cocktail in 1997. This was in the book "The Prawn Cocktail Years" by Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham.

The authors also mention that the shrimp cocktail was at a time regarded as the "Great British Meal."

As a fun fact, the name "Prawn Cocktail Offensive" was ironically given to the Labour Party's campaign for the 1992 British elections.

Moreover, British chef Heston Blumenthal has proclaimed himself to be a big fan of the dish.

And Delia Smith, another popular English chef, has said that the dish has unfortunately had some bad adaptions throughout the years.

What Are Some Shrimp Cocktail Variants?

For a variation of this cocktail, the shrimp may be substituted with seafood such as oysters, clams, and others.

Also, as mentioned earlier, there are different sauces that could be used. Plus, in certain countries, other ingredients may be added to the classic cocktail sauce. Hence, in Belgium, they usually add some whisky to it.

The signature taste of this cocktail has also made its way to other products. Notably, there are many potato chips that feature its flavor. In fact, shrimp cocktail chips were the number two most popular chips in Britain back in 2004.

How Many Calories Are in a Shrimp Cocktail?

A shrimp cocktail of 100g contains around 125 calories. This includes only 1.2g of total fat or 2% of the daily value based on a 2000-calorie diet. However, the amount of cholesterol is 55mg or 18% of the daily value.

In addition, there are 975mg of sodium (42%), 274mg of potassium (6%), as well as 6.5g of protein, and 21.5g of total carbohydrates (8%).

Where Can I Find a Shrimp Cocktail Near Me?

Considering this cocktail is heavily associated with Las Vegas, we'll start our restaurant recommendations there.

First, we suggest heading to New York Pizza & Pasta on S Jones Blvd. This great place is open every day of the week, and you can also order pickup and delivery. In fact, you get 5% off for any online order via the Slice app!

Another excellent choice is Napoli Pizza on W Sahara Ave. They too are open 7 days a week, and offer takeout and delivery, as well as 5% off for all online orders on Slice. And for those of you in New York, we suggest Frank's Trattoria on 1st Avenue. This fantastic place is open from Monday to Sunday, and can you also opt for pickup or delivery.

Of course, if you're in some other city, just check the listings on this page.