Coctel de Camarones (Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe)

Coctel de camarones, or Mexican shrimp cocktail, is a delicious and refreshing appetizer that doesn’t resemble the shrimp cocktails you may have grown up eating during the holidays. It’s loaded with crunchy vegetables and plump, poached shrimp in a citrusy, sweet and spicy tomato sauce. And it’s perfect for summertime dining – on the patio with an ice-cold beer, or maybe a bubbly Topo Chico. 

Why You’ll Love Coctel de Camarones

• It’s a crowd-pleasing appetizer. In fact, once I shared my recipe with Mom, it’s been a popular appetizer at nearly every family gathering… rain or shine… or snow. Of course, it also doubles a a light meal!
• Perfectly cooked, plump shrimp. 
• A make-ahead recipe that gets better with a night in the fridge, ensuring you’ll have time shower before your guests arrive on the day of. (You’re welcome!)
• Refreshing: Bright, citrusy flavor, tomato, a little heat, a crunchy texture and large shrimp. It’s such a great appetizer on a hot day.
• Mostly healthy: This is practically a salad. Use Maggi and hot sauce sparingly and skip the chips, and you’ve got a healthy meal. 
• Easily gluten-free: Skip the Maggi and opt for corn tortilla chips for a gluten-free party appetizer.

How to Eat Coctel de Camarones

One of the things I love most about eating coctel de camarones, is that it’s typically served with a variety of condiments, so that you can adjust everything from the amount of acidity to the spice. It’s no wonder it’s such a crowd-pleaser, really. DIY, tableside shrimp cocktail anyone? (Si, por favor.)

Here’s how to serve this appetizer:

• Saltine crackers, tostadas or tortilla chips: Most Mexicans tend to eat coctel de camarones with Saltines, not totopos, or tortilla chips. But, if you are entertaining, serving this with blue tortilla chips is a striking combo.
• Lime Wedges and plenty of them!
• Maggi: Maggi is an umami-packed sauce that gets used in a similar fashion to soy sauce. It can be a bit of an acquired taste, but I encourage you to give it a try to see if you like it. We really only use it for eating things like coctel de camarones or ceviche, but you can use a few drops of this to season soups, eggs, meat, etc. And to me, coctel de camaron doesn’t taste the same without it. 
• Hot Sauce. Something like Valentina, Cholula or Tapatio are all great choices.
• Ice-cold beverages. Beer. Margaritas. Topo Chico. 

Ingredients

• Shrimp: Shelled and deveined makes prep work on your shrimp minimal. I prefer a larger shrimp, which I then cut into chunks so that it’s easier for folks to eat, but also because I like being able to fit shrimp, cucumber, tomatoes and onion into a single bite, but you can choose a smaller shrimp and serve them whole if you wish.
• Salt & baking soda: Marinating the shrimp in salt and baking soda before cooking helps ensure plump shrimp.
• Lime juice: Use fresh lime juice if you can. Lime juice from concentrate includes added preservatives and sweeteners, so it won’t pack the same punch.
• Fresh orange juice: Not traditional, but works really well with the tomatoes and lime juice. (You’ll often find a mixture of lime and orange juices in English-language recipes for cochinita pibil, as a substitute for sour orange.)
• White onion: Yellow or red onion are both okay, too, though.
• English cucumber: You can use any variety, just remove the seeds no matter which variety you use.
• Roma tomatoes: Romas will hold up better than other tomato varieties.
• Ketchup: Ketchup is thicker (and sweeter) than tomato puree, so it will coat the shrimp, ensuring tomato-y goodness in every bite!
• Tomato puree: You’ll see clamato used in a lot of recipes. It creates a thicker base and doubles up on the tomato flavor of the sauce.
• Mexican hot sauce like Valentina, Tapatio, or Cholula 
• Cilantro
• Serrano chile pepper or jalapeno. I prefer serrano because I like the predictability of their heat level, but you can use jalapeno, too.
• Optional: Maggi for that savory burst of umami. If you are making this for someone who is gluten free, you can omit Maggi in this recipe and let diners shake some into their own bowl to taste.
• Saltines, corn tortilla chips or tostadas for serving. You’ll typically eat this with saltines in Mexico, but you can serve this with tortilla chips or even tostadas. 

FAQs

What is the difference between ceviche and coctel de camarones?

So, first, it’s important to note that variations on ceviche and cóctel de camarones exist throughout South and Central America as well as Mexico. Ingredients and preparation will differ based on country and region. But, in general, ceviche starts as raw seafood tossed in some sort of acid, which lightly cooks it before it gets eaten. Shrimp cocktail starts with shrimp that has already been cooked.

Can I make shrimp cocktail ahead of time?

You can absolutely make shrimp cocktail ahead of time, which makes it great for parties! Make this up to one day in advance, cover in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

How long will shrimp cocktail last?

Shrimp cocktail will last up to 2-3 days in the fridge.

How to Make Coctel de Camarones: Step By Step

1. Dry brine shrimp. In a medium bowl, toss raw shrimp with one teaspoon of salt and the baking soda. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Cook shrimp. Transfer the shrimp to a stock pot and add 2 quarts of cold water as well as the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Cook over medium heat, bringing the water to 170 degrees F. 
3. Drain and rinse under cold water or submerge shrimp in an ice bath and drain once cool, discarding the water. Depending on how large your shrimp are, you may want to cut shrimp into chunks. If you do this, you can set aside a few slices of whole shrimp to use as garnish. Add to a large mixing bowl, where we will be prepping the rest of our coctel. 
4. Dice vegetables. Scoop the middle of the cucumber out. Cut into thick strips and then dice. Dice onion. Dice tomatoes. Chop cilantro. Add everything to the large bowl with the shrimp. 
5. Combine ingredients. Mix the remaining 6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and the fresh orange juice into the bowl with the shrimp mixture. Then add in the tomato sauce, the ketchup, and the hot sauce, and Maggi, if using. For a spicy shrimp cocktail, add in diced chile serrano or jalapeno, to taste. See notes section for more tips.
6. You can cover and refrigerate this for up to a day. If you wait a day before serving, the cucumbers and tomatoes will release some of their natural juices. This is actually a good thing as the tomato sauce and ketchup will thicken slightly, so simply give the shrimp cocktail a quick stir when you remove from the fridge. Immediately before serving, add avocado to the bowl and gently fold in. Serve up in individual glasses or bowls. See notes section for garnish ideas. Provecho!

What goes with an Authentic Mexican Shrimp Cocktail?

There is nothing quite like serving this delicious Mexican shrimp cocktail with a cold beer on the patio – unless of course, your patio faces the ocean and you’re in Mexico eating freshly caught shrimp and getting ready for an afternoon spent napping in a hammock… and that most certainly is the perfect appetizer.) But, this is definitely a crowd-pleasing appetizer – it’s become a family tradition to make this on Christmas Eve, and ever since I gave this recipe to my mom, it makes an appearance at almost every family gathering, but is especially welcome on the appetizer table at bonfires.

Serve this as an appetizer for:

• Pollo verde con nopales
• Tacos or fajitas
• Sopes
• Pozole
• Carne asada 

Looking for other great appetizers? Try these Caprese Empanadas or this Air Fryer Baked Brie!

📖 Recipe