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Sea cocktail salad with shrimps

Seafood Cocktail Salad with Shrimp

An easy, foolproof shrimp cocktail salad that comes together in 15 minutes. This is my go-to "signature" recipe for when guests show up unexpectedly and you need to feed them something hearty in a hurry. In those situations I'll start a side of creamy mashed potatoes or put on some rice, and while it cooks I throw together this little salad — you can plate it up, serve it in a glass, or right inside a hollowed-out vegetable (peppers, tomatoes). First-timers always give it a real WOW reaction (Wow! :))) By the way, the lemon here isn't just for looks: offer your guest a wedge to squeeze right over the cocktail if they like a little tang. Don't worry, it won't be too sour — the bell pepper balances the acidity with its sweetness, and once you add the light peppery saltiness of the sautéed shrimp, your mouth gets a genuine party of flavors.

MiracleWaterfall

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Shrimp

100

Lemon (1 slice for garnish, plus about 1 teaspoon of juice to squeeze over the cooked shrimp)

0.25

Tomato

0.5

Bell pepper

0.3

Fresh herbs (for serving — optional)

Salt

Ground black pepper (just a knife-tip pinch, for a little kick)

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 79 % 11 g

Fats 7 % 1 g

Carbohydrates 14 % 2 g

58 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 15 min

Step 1:

Prep the ingredients: wash the vegetables, peel the garlic, and thaw the shrimp.
Step 2:

Chop the garlic finely, or slice it thin like I did.
Step 3:

Sauté the garlic in a little oil.
Step 4:

Once the garlic is fragrant, add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes.
Step 5:

Drain off the liquid, transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate, and give them a squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 6:

Cut up the tomato, saving one slice for garnish.
Step 7:

Trim the stems off the herbs — we only need the leaves.
Step 8:

Cut up the bell pepper.
Step 9:

Combine the pepper and tomato, salt lightly, and toss gently so the tomato pieces stay intact.
Step 10:

To serve in a glass: spoon in the tomato-and-pepper mixture and tuck in the herbs — it looks like a seabed with seaweed. Mound the shrimp neatly on top and finish the cocktail with a lemon wedge. For the presentation shown, I also use a tomato slice: stick two toothpicks into it side by side. Two ends stay on one side so you can anchor the setup on the rim of the glass, and you thread shrimp onto the ends poking out the other side.
Step 11:

Another way to serve: in little boats made from fresh peppers. For this version, don't slice the pepper — instead trim the edges carefully to form boats. One regular-size bell pepper makes about 3 boats. Mix the tomato with the sautéed shrimp, fill the boats, and top with herbs or, say, cocktail umbrellas.

I also love serving this cocktail in small shot glasses — then I hang some of the shrimp right on the rim, since their curved shape is just perfect for it! Honestly, this is a versatile salad, and you'll surely come up with your own way to present it. I hope I've inspired you to make it — and once you do, you'll definitely want to make it again!