Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

If I had to pick one Food Network chef/cook to be my go to recipe source, it would hands down be Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  I have all but one of Ina's cookbooks and have had overwhelmingly positive success with her recipes.  What I love about Ina is her recipes aren't overly complicated, yet they have a wow factor.  And most importantly, they are delicious. 

I have had my eye on Ina's Roasted Shrimp with Cocktail for a few years now.  This recipe comes from her book, Back to Basics--one of my favorites.  I was in search of a healthy appetizer for our recent dinner party and I remembered this recipe.  It did not disappoint and it's incredibly easy to make.  It's even easier if you buy shrimp that is already peeled and de-veined.  We almost always buy our shrimp, uncooked, peeled, de-veined and frozen from Costco and simply defrost. 

What I like about this recipe is it is a twist on the traditional shrimp cocktail.  The simple step of roasting the shrimp in olive oil, salt and pepper, makes all the difference in creating the wow factor for this appetizer.  The cocktail sauce is homemade and has a nice tang with a horseradish kick.

I wish I had more photos to share...like the baking sheet with all the pretty pink roasted shrimp when they just came out of the oven.  Or the final plated dish with the shrimp circling the bowl of cocktail sauce, lemon wedges interspersed.  But lighting was not good and I might have been mildly stressed anxiously waiting for our dinner guests to arrive.  Luckily one lonely shrimp was left over and I took this photo the next morning. 

If you like shrimp cocktail and you are looking for an easy appetizer, this is a great choice.

Enjoy!


Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
from Ina Garten's Back to Basics

Ingredients

Shrimp:
2 pounds (12 to 15 count) shrimp (we used 21 to 25 count--meaning count of shrimp per pound)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

Sauce:
1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce
1/2 cup Heinz ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and de-vein the shrimp, leaving the tails on.  (Or use frozen, uncooked, peeled shrimp).  Place the shrimp on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over the shrimp and use your hands to toss and evenly coat the shrimp.  Place shrimp in a single layer on the pan and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until the shrimp turns pink and feels firm and cooked through.  (My shrimp took exactly 8 minutes).  Set shrimp aside to cool.  (I recommend making the shrimp an hour or two before you plan to serve it)

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well combined.  The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to serve. 

Serve roasted shrimp with cocktail sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.