This prawn cocktail is one of the easiest appetizers to make that just looks out-of-this-world professional. Including an absolutely to die for recipe for Marie Rose sauce.
There are quite a few things that we absolutely love about prawn cocktail. It has to begin with the fact that it is such an easy appetizer to make and it just looks so elegant like SO much work was put into it.
Now I know we might not be entertaining as much as we used to be this year (you’ve been brutal 2020) but we thought we’d share this recipe with you so perhaps you could have a dine-in with the family instead. We’ve found making some elegant dishes like this beef stroganoff really perked up our mood.
So let us dive into how to make the perfect prawn cocktail and everything that involves this tasty appetizer.
How to Cook Prawns
First thing is first. There are a few tips depending on the top of prawns you have available to you. If the shells are on you can peel before or after you cook them. If the shells are on we’ve found that peeling them AFTER they cook actually makes a juicer prawn. But no worries if you have a unshelled prawns they’ll still be tasty.
You’ll want to drop the raw prawns into a pot of boiling (lightly salted) water for 2-3minutes then transfer them directly into an ice bath.
DO NOT skip the ice bath step. This will ensure your prawns stop cooking and won’t overcook.
How to Make Prawn Cocktail
The sauce and putting it all together. Sometimes I feel like we can’t properly write out how we feel about the sauce. BUT OH MY WORD IT IS THE BEST. So here is (what we feel) is the star of the dish. The Marie Rose sauce.
You won’t have a prawn cocktail if it wasn’t for the Marie Rose sauce. Delicious divine Marie Rose sauce.
Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well to ensure there are no lumps. Then once the prawns have cooled you’ll mix them in with a Tablespoon or so of Marie Rose sauce.
We’ve decided we’ll make a new post all about this sauce in the future. So stay tuned. 🙂
How to serve prawn cocktail
There are a few ways that you can serve this dish. You can serve it up in a martini glass like you see below or also on a small plate like you see above.
We like to serve it with a lightly dressed iceberg lettuce, avocado and good drizzle of lemon juice. You can even make it a bit more substantial by serving a slice of crusty white bread alongside.
And there you have it. Perhaps one of our most simple but elegant dishes on the website so far.
Other recipes you may enjoy:
- Easy Chicken Curry
- Seafood Chowder
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Shrimp Creole by ItsYummi
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Prawns Cocktail
This prawn cocktail is one of the easiest appetizer to make that just looks out of this world professional which also of course includes an absolutely to die for recipe for Marie Rose sauce.
Ingredients
Prawn Cocktail
- 24 large raw prawns per person
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce shredded
- 1 or 2 Avocados de-stoned and quartered
Dressing for iceberg
- 15 ml of olive oil
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1/2 tsp of brown sugar
- pinch of salt & pepper
Marie Rose Sauce
- 150 g of mayo
- 60 g of ketchup
- 1 tbsp of brandy
- 1 tsp of tabasco
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 dessert spoon of lemon juice
- 1 dessert spoon of honey
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper
Garnish, options
- small bunch of chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tsp of freshly chopped chives
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the Marie Rose, simply compile all ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk well making sure there are no lumps, taste and make sure it is seasoned to your taste.
- Next make the dressing for the iceberg, again, just mix all ingredients together in a separate bowl and season to taste
- If you are using raw prawns* boil them in a pot of lightly salted water for 2/3 mins then transfer directly in an ice bath**.
- To assemble, shred the iceberg with a sharp knife scatter a bit of fresh parley throughout and lightly toss it in a dessert spoon of the dressing (you just want a hint of dressing it should not be wet wet just glistening) , slice a quarter of an avocado and drizzle it with lemon juice
- When the prawns have cooled put them in a small bowl and mix them in a tablespoon of Marie-rose sauce
- In a martini glass or on a plate place a handful of iceberg , followed by the prawns and arrange the Avocado neatly to the side
- Top with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh chives and maybe a drizzle more Marie Rose & finish by placing a slice of lemon on side
- Enjoy with some crusty white bread of a fresh slice of buttered Guinness bread
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