Roasting Is the Key to the Best Shrimp Cocktail
I can’t remember the shrimp dish I don’t like, but the frequency with which I inhale the shrimp cocktail is alarming. The dish consists of only two components – shrimp and sauce, so to make a good shrimp cocktail, you need to maximize the flavor of each of them. To do this, you need to brown a little (and salt).
Based on Alton Brown’s recipe , we take a twofold approach to shrimp. To keep sea bugs juicy and well seasoned, they spend a little time in a fragrant brine made from sugar, salt, lemon peel and horseradish. They are then fried in a hot skillet – the shells still remain – for plump crustaceans that you can peel and eat with a ton of freshness. But roasting doesn’t end there. The real secret of this cocktail and the sauce in particular is the fried ginger .
You see, you can add that much horseradish – and I add a quarter cup – before it starts to obscure other flavors. The addition of toasted ginger creates a special heat, but at the same time provides a little depth and caramelized sweetness. This is very good. To make this appetizer icon (which I ate as food), you will need:
- 1 lb. shell shrimp 21/25 pieces
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
- Zest of 1 small lemon
- 10 g fresh horseradish, peeled and cut into ribbons with a peeler
- 1 1/2 cups ice
- 16 grams fresh, unpeeled ginger
- 3/4 cup Heinz ketchup
- 1 cup Heinz chili sauce
- 1/4 cup cooked horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh pepper to taste
Turn on the grill and place the ginger directly on the top wire rack. Cook until dark brown spots appear on both sides, which should take about 45 minutes, turning once in the middle. While it’s roasting, cook the pickle. In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, salt, zest and fresh horseradish, then bring to a boil. Once it boils and all the sugar and salt has dissolved, remove the heat and add ice. Transfer the brine to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate while you peel the shrimp.
Peel each shrimp by making an incision with a sharp knife about half of the body, down the back to the tail. Remove the dark vein, rinse it and repeat with the next shrimp. When all the shrimp are clean, place them in the brine and refrigerate for 25 minutes.
While these babies are getting ready, prepare the sauce. Peel the fried ginger – most of the peel should be peeled off, but the tough ends will have to be cut off – and roughly chopped. Add it to the bowl of a food processor and whisk to chop as small as possible. Add about half of the ketchup, chop and transfer to a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to a bowl, stir, then cover and refrigerate.
Your shrimp should be salted by now. Remove them from the liquid and let dry on paper towels. Meanwhile, place the baking sheet in the oven and let it heat up under the hot grill for five minutes. Toss the shrimp in a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil and any amount of fresh pepper. Open the oven, line the shrimp in one layer and cook under the broiler for three minutes. Turn the shrimp over, let it cook for another minute and a half, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a chilled vessel. (A large metal bowl will work.) Chill them until completely cool, then serve with a delicious, insanely aromatic cocktail sauce.