As a food stylist and a recipe developer, I hang out with a lot of other "chef types." But when we find ourselves together at a party—no matter how fancy it is, how famous the chefs, or how trendy the food—we all seem to gravitate toward the same classic nibble: shrimp cocktail. And no wonder. It's got everything you could want—succulence, zip, tang, and a bit of heat. But perhaps the greatest thing about this crowd-pleaser is that it's over-the-top easy to make at home.
My versions of shrimp cocktail always begin with raw shell-on shrimp. (Buying precooked peeled shrimp may save you time, but at the cost of good taste and texture.) Shrimp loves to soak up flavors, so by using different cooking methods and seasonings, it's easy to add unexpected depth and interest to the hors d'oeuvre. My pan-seared version has a smoky dimension that's completely different from the traditional recipe. In my most traditional version, I poach the shrimp in a flavorful broth. And my roasted version has a garlicky punch that's great with my jalapeño-spiked cocktail sauce. Each method lets you control the cooking, so that your own shrimp cocktail has a pleasantly crunchy texture, not an overcooked, rubbery one.
