This Mexican shrimp cocktail is a healthy and flavorful dish with chilled shrimp in a tomato sauce with cucumber, avocado and cilantro. Serve cold with tortilla chips for a festive party appetizer or a quick weeknight meal.
This year we spent 4th of July weekend with my family at the beach. While we were there my cousin’s girlfriend, Danielle, made this awesome shrimp cocktail dip as an appetizer before dinner one night and everyone loved it! I forgot to ask her for the recipe, but once we got home I decided to try my hand at making it. I found this authentic Coctel de Camarones recipe that seemed similar so I used it as a guide and came up with the version I’m sharing today!
What is Mexican Shrimp Cocktail?
When I think of shrimp cocktail I immediately think of a fancy dinner party with cold shrimp and cocktail sauce for dipping. This recipe doesn’t involve cocktail sauce at all. It’s more like a shrimp salsa or like a gazpacho soup studded with shrimp. I love Mexican food so I am extra excited to share this recipe!
Traditionally Mexican shrimp cocktail is made with a tomato juice mix like V8 or Clamato (tomato juice mixed with calm juice). I like thicker dips so we’re skipping the juice and using tomato sauce instead.
How Do You Eat Shrimp Cocktail?
For serving, Mexican shrimp cocktail often served with saltine crackers, but I love chips and salsa so serving this shrimp cocktail with tortilla chips is a no-brainer in my mind.
Chips and salsa aren’t very filling on their own, but luckily this dip is like an amped up version. When you add shrimp and avocado to the mix you have a good amount of protein and healthy fats that fill you up and you’re less likely to feel the need to eat a billion chips. Always a good thing. 🙂
And if you’re not in the mood for chips you can eat the cocktail straight up with a fork or spoon. Like I said, it’s like a gazpacho soup studded with shrimp! I recommend serving it with my skinny paloma for a true Mexican fiesta.
Ingredients in Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
cooked shrimp – peeled and deveined
tomato base – ripe tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce
A healthy and flavorful dish with chilled shrimp in a tomato sauce with cucumber, avocado and cilantro. Serve cold with tortilla chips for a festive party appetizer or a quick weeknight meal.
In a large bowl combine tomatoes, ketchup, tomato sauce, red onion, cucumber, celery, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, pepper and salt. Taste and add extra seasoning if needed.
Cover, and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours to let the flavor build and chill the sauce. Add shrimp and avocado chunks right before serving.
Serve in a large bowl or in small cocktail glasses with a side of tortilla chips for dipping.
For your hot sauce try buffalo or , Valentin, or amor it will make a world of difference I live close to the border with a big mexican family and those are our go to hot sauces.
We eat at a little Mexican restaurant called Taco Giro in Casagrande AZ. They make the best shrimp cocktail. We can’t keep my wife out of there. So, I’m going to make this for her. Seasoning is the best part of taste. Thank you for this.
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great recipe
You are an amazing cook 👩🍳 thank you for being you and showing us what you know. Merry Christmas and a Happy new year 🎆
Aww, thank you!! I so appreciate that. <3
This was awesome as is! However this Marylander can’t resist shaking some Old Bay in it which made it even tastier!
Oh I bet!! Old Bay makes everything better. 🙂
Yum! This shrimp is so good! I made it for our family gathering and they gobbled it up.
So glad this recipe was a hit, Reena! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
For your hot sauce try buffalo or , Valentin, or amor it will make a world of difference I live close to the border with a big mexican family and those are our go to hot sauces.
We eat at a little Mexican restaurant called Taco Giro in Casagrande AZ. They make the best shrimp cocktail. We can’t keep my wife out of there. So, I’m going to make this for her. Seasoning is the best part of taste. Thank you for this.
Yay!! Let me know how it turns out, Horacio.
So tapatio isn’t but buffalo is🤔
Yes!! I love all the hot sauces!