Name: Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camarones)
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1/2 cup ketchup; 1/2 cup Clamato juice or tomato juice; 4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice; 1 Tbsp. hot sauce, plus more to taste; 1 lb. medium cooked shrimp; 3 plum tomatoes, diced; 2 celery ribs, finely chopped; 1 English cucumber, diced; 1 avocado, diced; 1 small red onion, finely chopped; 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

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Sweet, tart, spicy, and crunchy — this Mexican Shrimp Cocktail hits all the right notes!

Have you ever gone to brunch at a restaurant with a build your own Bloody Mary bar and loaded up your glass with everything they had? That’s what Mexican shrimp cocktail reminds me of, only without the booze — or the guilt of taking all of the shrimp. Sorry, not sorry.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is a cocktail glass with a wedge of lime.

Most people describe this classic appetizer as a cross between shrimp cocktail and ceviche. It’s a little sweet, a little tart, a little spicy, and a little crunchy. Like the shrimp cocktail most Americans are familiar with, Mexican shrimp cocktail features shrimp in a spicy, tomato sauce. Instead of horseradish though, this recipe gets its heat from jalapeno peppers.

But it doesn’t end there! In addition to shrimp, coctel de camerones is loaded with crunchy celery, cucumber, red onion, avocado, cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapeno. It’s basically a full-on salad. It’s usually served as an appetizer, but can easily double as a light lunch.

What Kind of Shrimp To Use In Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Unlike ceviche, which is a salad made from raw fish that gets “cooked” by its acidic marinade, you’ll want to use cooked shrimp in this recipe. I prefer to cook the shrimp myself, straight from frozen. That’s the freshest way to do it. Shrimp are frozen on the boat when caught, so if they’re still frozen when you take them home, that is the closest to the ocean-flavor they’ll have.

The fish counters at stores tend to defrost the shrimp there and then sell them, so they’re freshest if you buy them frozen and cook them yourself. But, you can totally get them already cooked to keep things simpler. I won’t judge you for that, ever!

Which shrimp should you get for this? Anytime that shrimp are going to be in sauce, I prefer to get ones that are peeled, deveined, and have the tail removed. That way, we don’t have to be tugging at the saucy, messy tail to eat. But if the ones with the tails are on sale, get those. You can just leave the tails on and deal with the sauce, or remove the tails yourself from all the shrimp before mixing them with the sauce. It’s not a difficult thing to do, really. You just hold the meaty part of the shrimp firmly in one hand, squeezing with your fingers just above where the tail ends, and then with your other hand, grab the tail and pull. Done! Repeat for all of the shrimp.

What Is Clamato?

Clamato is a drink made from tomato juice and clam juice. It’s more seasoned than regular tomato juice and has a rich, salty flavor. No, it doesn’t taste like fish! A lot of people really like the flavor that it adds to Mexican shrimp cocktail. But if you’re not feeling it, go ahead and use regular tomato juice or even V8. It will still be delicious.

Storing Shrimp Cocktail

Once prepared, this Mexican shrimp cocktail will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container!

What Should I Serve Mexican Shrimp Cocktail With?

Traditionally, coctel de camerones is served with saltine crackers. You can also serve it with tortilla chips — or just eat it with a spoon.