This Retro Prawn Cocktail recipe is such a classic that it always hits the spot. Small cold-water prawns are mixed with a slightly tangy marie-rose sauce made with store cupboard ingredients and then piled onto crisp shredded lettuce. With no cooking involved and a whole heap of tasty nostalgia, this is a sure fire vintage hit!
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Does a prawn cocktail need any actual introduction?! It may have fallen out of fashion and been the subject of ridicule for a while, but there is a reason that it never actually went away and is now back with a bang. It’s because it is delicious – and actually very simple to prepare.
It’s worth noting that prawn cocktail sauce that is common in the US is totally different to this kind of sauce that is traditional in the UK. American cocktail sauce is more tomato based and generally a little spicier so do please make sure that this is the recipe you are in fact searching for
How to Serve Prawn Cocktail
Forget how, we really have to start with when. And if you’re remotely interested in any kind of traditional British Christmas dinner and this should be your starter. Or, of course, if you’re trying to recreate any kind of 1970s dinner party. Or even a 1980s pub meal.
in seriousness, prawn cocktail really is a great starter. A fairly light touch of luxury without breaking the bank whilst feeling like you are having something a bit special.
It is traditional to serve buttered brown bread with the cocktail. It’s perfect for mopping up the sauce or piling the prawns on top of. Just be careful not to overdo it, fill yourself up on bread and not have room for your main course. Of course saying this, it actually makes a brilliant lighter meal. Especially when you do include that nice carby side.
As for the temperature, you do need to be keeping the prawn mixture on the cooler side. But you don’t want to be serving it fridge cold as the flavours will be muted. It’s best to take it out fridge around half an hour before you plan to eat it.
Classic Prawn Cocktail Ingredients
Cocktail Sauce
This traditional prawn cocktail sauce is also known as marie rose sauce. It’s a little twist on seafood sauce which is simply mayonnaise and tomato ketchup mixed together. I’ve included the full ingredients and instructions to make the sauce within this recipe but for more information about the specifics you can click on my dedicated recipe post.
Of course, if you prefer you can simply use a ready-made sauce instead.
Prawn Cocktail Sauce – Classic Marie Rose Recipe
Prawns
I used a mixture of small cooked prawns and slightly larger king prawns when making this recipe. I like the slight variation in texture and visual interest that provides. But you can use any prawn you like as long as they’re cooked and fully peeled.
For convenience I do choose to use ready cooked prawns in this recipe but you can cook them from scratch if you prefer. It is best to simply boil them whilst making sure not to overcook them or the prawns can become rubbery.
Frozen prawns are readily available and absolutely fine to use here. Just make sure they are fully defrosted and dried to within an inch of their life.
I’ve also used some shell-on cooked prawns as a garnish although this is entirely optional. But if you are looking to make an impact when serving, this is a fun thing to do.
Lettuce
The lettuce you use needs to be of a crisp and crunchy variety. I’ve used simple and traditional iceberg lettuce but you could also use romaine/cos or little gem lettuces.
You could change things up by using something less traditional like rocket/arugula, baby spinach leaves or pea shoots. Whilst the additional flavour is great, I do believe losing that textural crunch is a shame.
Garnishes
A slice of fresh lemon is really more than just a garnish as you can squeeze it over the prawn cocktail for an extra hit of citrus freshness. Over time I’ve discovered that the more you pay for a lemon, generally the less pips they tend to have and the easier they are to prepare. If your lemons do have a lot of pips just make sure to poke them out before adding to the glass.
Cayenne pepper is another really traditional garnish for prawn cocktail. Just a little shake over the top adds a little extra colour but doesn’t really add much spice. So don’t worry if that is in your thing.
As I mentioned above I also used the shell on cooked prawn including the head and tail as garnish. This is entirely optional but super fun.
Be Flexible
You can turn a simple prawn cocktail into a seafood bonanza if you prefer. There are lots of other seafood options to include as well as, or instead of, the prawns. Think muscles, crab meat, squid, tiny brown shrimp, scallops or even lobster.
You can make a spicy version by upping the amount of tabasco in the sauce or even adding dried chili flakes, or fresh chopped Red chillies. I think the prawn cocktail sauce lend itself really well to a little extra spice.
I’ve also transformed the traditional prawn cocktail into a couple of slightly different dishes. The first is a fully loaded sandwich or baguette and the second a beautiful layered salad. I will add links here to those recipes just as soon as I can get them written up and published.
Make Allergy Friendly Prawn Cocktail
This recipe is free from dairy and nuts.
Gluten Free: Traditional Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce contains malt vinegar made from barley which contains gluten. Many of the own brand alternatives or Henderson’s don’t contain gluten so it is just a case of checking ingredient lists.
Egg Free: Mayonnaise contains eggs so replace this with a vegan version if needed.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Shrimp Cocktails
You need very little specialist equipment to make this prawn cocktail providing that you buy the prawns ready cooked. In fact there is no actual cooking involved at all. Simply a little bit of prep using basic kitchen equipment like a good sharp knife, mixing bowl and spatulas.
You might want to have a think about what dishes you will use to serve the prawn cocktail. I’ve used some small glass bowls that were originally designed as trifle bowls. It’s super common to use red wine or martini glasses to serve a cocktail or you can use any kind of glass tumbler. Glass is traditional because it shows off all of the layers. But if you prefer, you can pile everything into a regular small bowl or even pile everything onto a plate.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Get Ahead
You can make the sauce sauce several days in advance and store it in the fridge. You can add the prawns to the mix around 24 hours before you plan to serve. Again store covered in the fridge.
I wouldn’t recommend cutting the lettuce or making the lemon garnishes more than an hour or two before you plan to assemble and serve the dish. You can assemble and keep the whole dish in the fridge for an hour or two before serving by really wouldn’t recommend leaving it much longer than that.
I also really wouldn’t recommend trying to get any more ahead than this. The prawns in sauce do not freeze well as the whole thing becomes very watery when it defrosts.
Leftover Prawn Cocktail
On the whole, an entire leftover cocktail is not a great thing. But if you have prawns in sauce left, you can store those in the fridge for a day or two. Use it to make a sandwich, pile onto a hot baked potato or eat it with a spoon.
Retro Prawn Cocktail Tips
Take the amount of lettuce I’ve used in the recipe as a guide. This does make just the right ratio of lettuce to prawns in sauce but if you have a particularly deep glass or serving dish, you might want to add a little more to pan things out.
Do make sure to taste the sauce and don’t be scared to adjust the seasonings to your preference.
No matter whether you buy the prawns ready cooked or cook them yourself, you must make sure that they are fully dried before adding to the sauce. They do tend to come out of the packet quite wet.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Prawn Recipes
The Recipe
Retro Prawn Cocktail – Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
- 4 Glass Trifle Dishes or bowls or large glasses
Ingredients
- 300 g Cooked & Peeled Prawns - see note 1
- 200 g Lettuce - see note 2
- 1 Lemon
- 4 Crevettes - optional to serve
- Cayenne Pepper
For The Sauce
- 100 g Mayonnaise
- 25 g Tomato Ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ tsp Tabasco Sauce
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
Prepare the Prawns in Sauce
- Thoroughly dry around 300g Cooked & Peeled Prawns.
- Put the prawns into a bowl and measure in all of the sauce ingredients – 100g Mayonnaise, 25g Tomato Ketchup, 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tsp Lemon Juice and around ¼ tsp Tabasco Sauce.
- Mix to thoroughly combine all of the sauce ingredients and prawns. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Prepare the Garnishes
- Prepare around 200g Lettuce by slicing into halves or quarters depending on the size of the lettuce.
- Remove the lettuce core and discard.
- Cut the lettuce into thin strips and set aside.
- Slice 1 Lemon so that you have 4 nicely thick slices that will hold their shape. Remove any seeds and cut into each slice just so the cut reaches the middle of the slice. Set aside.
- Prepare 4 Crevettes by thoroughly drying them.
- If you want to present your cocktails with the full prawns, heads, shells and all, skip this step.Otherwise twist off the prawn head and use your fingers to peel off most of the shell. If you are careful, you should be able to leave the tail shell still attached for a fun presentation.
Assemble the Cocktails
- Evenly distribute the shredded lettuce between 4 bowls or glasses.
- Pile the prawn mixture into the centre of each bowl. I try to keep it piled right in the middle rather than covering all of the lettuce but how you tackle this will depend on the bowl/glass you are using and your preference.
- Add a lemon slice and a crevette to the rim of each bowl. You can use the slit in the lemon slice to slide it on. And just hand the crevette over the edge with the tail hanging over the outside.
- Sprinkle as much or as little Cayenne Pepper over the prawns as you wish and serve.
Lesley says
I loved the recipe, the sauce was perfectly balanced and I forgot how easy it was to pull together this easy prawn salad.
Amy says
This couldn’t have been easier to make and much nicer than any prawn cocktail sauce that I’ve bought. I served it for a dinner with friends and everyone loved the hint of chilli from the Tabasco.