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Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

By Brittany Mullins

4.35

29

Published Aug 10, 2016, Updated Apr 11, 2022

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GFGluten-Free

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
• vegetables – red onion, cucumber, celery, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño pepper, avocado
• lime juice
• hot sauce – I love Cholula or Tapatio in this recipe!
• salt and pepper
• tortilla chips

Looking For More Delicious Appetizers?

• Smoked Salmon Dip
• Vegetarian Mezze Platter
• Easy Pineapple Salsa
• Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
• Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

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4.35 from 23 votes

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

By: Brittany Mullins

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.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb. cooked shrimp peel and deveined
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup chopped ripe tomatoes with juice
• ▢ 1/4 cup ketchup
• ▢ 8 oz can of tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• ▢ 1 cup peeled and diced cucumber
• ▢ 1-2 stalks of celery finely chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 1 jalapeño seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
• ▢ juice from 1 lime
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Mexican hot sauce like Cholula or Tapatio
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 2 avocados chopped into chunks
• ▢ tortilla chips for serving

Instructions 

• 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of recipe (without chips) | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 1207mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

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