"shrimp cocktail" news and stories

Why is it that a shrimp cocktail can instantly transport us to 1965, hostess pajamas, a martini shaker and Frank Sinatra's "In the Wee Small Hours" pouring from a Hi-Fi?

The classic appetizer still works today, but cocktail sauces have evolved from the ketchup-heavy to lighter ones using fresh tomatoes and herbs, such as the dill sprigs Special KRB captures here. If you feel like a Mexican version, try a recipe using green chiles, lime juice, cilantro and avocado. Or go Cajun with a creamy, horseradish-spiked remoulade (which also works beautifully with salmon croquettes).

Sinatra, however, is still the perfect soundtrack for shrimp cocktail and icy gin.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

• Shrimp cocktail is an effortless holiday dish -- and is made even easier with a variety of reviewed and rated premade sauces.
• "Squash explorations lead to a delectable journey," writes Tara Duggan, who delves into the different types available and supplies a recipe for Winter Squash Soup with Kale, and a Cilantro-Almond Pesto for topping.
• Grazalema Payoyo is a "cheese worth remembering," combining tangy goat's milk with sweeter sheep's milk.
• As Champagne imports to the U.S. plummet in the face of recession, stateside drinkers may get the opportunity to appreciate lower prices.
• Suspecting a "proven correlation between the holidays and the onset of cold and flu season," Chronicle staff writer Amanda Gold recommends "Christmas feasts that won't wear out the cook."

Shrimp cocktail. Photo: No Recipes.

While shrimp is delicious on its own, deep-fried or sautéed with pasta and butter, it it seems to pack the most flavor -- and color -- when served as part of the classic shrimp cocktail.

Pleasing to the eyes as well as the palate, this single shellfish from No Recipes is dipped in an Asian-inspired twist on the staid red cocktail sauce, combining the usual fresh tomatoes and tomato sauce with Thai sweet chili and fish sauces, lime juice and wasabi. It sounds so good, we're tempted to try to pluck the perfectly pink crustacean straight off the screen.

[Via No Recipes]

Shrimp Tacos with Avocado-Corn Salsa. Photo: YumSugar

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

Raw corn off the cob can perk up a shrimp cocktail when you make a salsa and throw it in a taco.

Has Wal-Mart ripped off those delicious cookies the Girl Scouts have been selling for years?

Bottarga makes for a fine "poor man's" caviar.

Grilled bruschetta chicken is a fast and easy dish perfect for evenings when time is of the essence.

Rum punch is prime for a technicolor luau.

Julie Powell, of "Julie & Julia" fame, dishes about the movie.

A test of your M&M's know-how to separate myth from fact.

Leftover chicken thighs are prime candidates for Peking-style chicken wraps.

It's easy to pull out a few crackers, chips, or veggies to munch on, but I'm a big fan of fancy no-muss, no-mess snacks that are even tastier. One of my favorite quickies is shrimp cocktail, like the one above.

I keep a bag of cooked shrimp in the freezer, and when I'm feeling peckish, I pull out a handful, and then quickly thaw them in warm water* in a measuring cup. Pull out the shrimp, quickly rinse the cup, pour in a little cocktail sauce, and viola! It's shrimp cocktail with only one thing dirtied in the process, maybe two if you need to spoon out your cocktail sauce.

*Edit: Warning: As Chris pointed out below, warm water can increase bacteria attached to the shrimp after cooking, another reason why cold water baths are usually used. Using cold water, if you choose, shouldn't take much longer for a small amount of shrimp.