Cóctel de camarón, or Mexican shrimp cocktail, is a delicious and refreshing Mexican dish that features juicy shrimp served in a tomato-based cocktail sauce with diced onions, cilantro, tomato, jalapeño, avocado, and lime juice. This dish is typically served chilled and is perfect for a light and flavorful appetizer, snack, or lunch!
Cóctel de camaron is the type of recipe that hits every taste bud – salty, sweet, tangy, and spicy all wrapped up in each delicious bite! I like to pair it with saltine crackers, but before you know it, I look down and find myself finishing the entire sleeve; it’s that good. Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It requires minimal prep and cooking. The only cooking this recipe requires is poaching the shrimp for a couple of minutes. After that, it’s chopping, mixing, and letting the cóctel de camaron chill in the fridge and meld all the flavors together.
- It’s easily customizable. You can easily add more or fewer ingredients based on your preference. Just taste and adjust as you go.
What is Cóctel de Camaron?
Cóctel de camaron is a traditional Mexican shrimp cocktail that features juicy and tender poached shrimp tossed in a red cocktail sauce made of clamato, ketchup, lime juice, and orange soda (a popular addiction in Mexico) and mixed together with finely chopped fresh vegetables like cucumber, onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeño, and avocado.
It’s the perfect combination of sweet, spicy, salty, and savory that’s perfect for the summertime. It’s served chilled, and in most Mexican restaurants, it’s served in a tall frosty mug with plenty of saltines or tostada shells.
What’s the Difference between Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, Ceviche, and Aguachile?
It can be confusing to know the difference between cóctel de camaron, ceviche, and aguachile, and understandably so since they are very similar.
The main difference is that the seafood in ceviche and aguachile are cured in lime juice and then tossed with either a salsa or chopped fresh vegetables. Cóctel de camaron uses shrimp that’s first poached and then tossed with a cocktail sauce and vegetables.
All three Mexican seafood dishes are bright and refreshing, perfect for warmer months. Ceviche and cóctel de camaron are milder, but if you like spicy recipes, you’ll love aguachile.
Ingredients in Cóctel de Camaron
- Large raw shrimp: I used large raw shrimp, but you can also use medium shrimp or even precooked shrimp to save a little extra time.
- Clamato: Clamato is a Mexican tomato juice cocktail that’s popular for lots of seafood recipes and drinks like micheladas. You can find it in most grocery stores or online. If you can’t find it, you can use vegetable or tomato juice.
- Ketchup: Adds some sweetness and thickens the liquid mixture. To add some spice, you can use spicy ketchup.
- Lime juice: Adds some brightness and acidity.
- Orange soda: Adds some sweetness and orange flavor. The carbonation adds a fun and interesting fizzy texture to the sauce. If orange soda isn’t your thing, you can use orange juice instead.
- Chopped vegetables: A mix of finely chopped cucumber, Roma tomatoes, white onion, jalapeño, and chopped cilantro all add freshness and texture to the cóctel de camaron.
- Avocado: Diced avocado adds creaminess to the mixture.
- Kosher salt: Make sure to taste and add salt as needed. Because this cóctel uses ketchup and clamato, it doesn’t need much salt.
- Satines or tostadas: Cóctel de camaron is traditionally served with tostada shells or saltine crackers for scooping.
How to Make Cóctel de Camaron
Poach the shrimp in a large pot with water and kosher salt for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp is plump and pink.
Strain the shrimp and immediately transfer it to an ice bath to cool and prevent it from overcooking. Set aside.
Mix the clamato, ketchup, lime juice, and orange soda until combined. Add in Roma tomatoes, English cucumber, jalapeño, white onion, and chopped cilantro, stirring until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Strain the ice bath and transfer the cooled shrimp into the prepared bowl. Give it a good stir to mix all the ingredients together.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to let the flavors come together and fully chill the cóctel de camaron.
Add diced avocados and serve with saltines or tostadas.
Recipe Tips
- Make it spicy. There are several ways to adjust the spice level in this recipe. You can use spicy ketchup and swap the jalapeńo pepper for a serrano pepper, or you can mellow it out by using bell peppers instead. Add a couple of dashes of your favorite hot sauce (Valentina is a popular addition) for an extra spicy treat.
- Add some sweetness. Add 1 cup of diced mango or pineapple for a sweet flavor.
- Add some crunch. Add 1 cup of diced jicama for some added texture and crunch.
- Perfect for making ahead. Cóctel de camaron requires minimal cooking and prep, making it great for large gatherings. Just prepare the cóctel de camaron up to 3 days in advance for optimal freshness.
- Can’t find Clamato? Clamato is a popular Mexican tomato juice cocktail that’s used in seafood recipes and drinks. You can find it in most grocery stores or you can also use regular or spicy tomato juice. Clamato has a thinner consistency than regular tomato juice, so you may have to adjust the ratios.
- Don’t want to use orange soda? Orange soda is a fun and popular addition to cóctel de camaron, especially popular in Mexico. It adds a sweet orange flavor, and the carbonation adds an interesting texture and fizz to the mix. You can also use orange or pineapple juice if you prefer.
- Save some time. You can easily swap raw shrimp for precooked shrimp. Just make sure it’s thawed.
Serving Suggestions
Cóctel de camaron is traditionally served with saltine crackers, homemade tortilla chips, or tostada shells. Round it out with a refreshing michelada, chelada, or ranch water on a hot day!
Storing
To store cóctel de camaron, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days for optimal freshness.
More Mexican Seafood Recipes
Cóctel de Camaron
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, shell off
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 ¼ cup Clamato juice or tomato juice
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup orange soda or orange juice
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 English cucumber, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- ½ white onion, finely diced
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado, diced
- Saltines or tostadas, for serving
Instructions
- Add the water and salt to a medium pot and bring to a boil. While the water is heating up, prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
- When boiling, add the shrimp and poach for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are bright pink.
- Strain the shrimp and immediately transfer them to the bowl of ice water to prevent the shrimp from continuing to cook. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the clamato, ketchup, orange soda, and lime juice until combined. Stir in the tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeño, onion, and cilantro. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Transfer the shrimp to the bowl of sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to chill the cóctel de camaron and to meld the flavors together.
- Stir in the diced avocados and serve immediately with tostadas or saltine crackers.
Notes
- Chill time. cóctel de camaron is traditionally served cold. I recommend letting it chill for at least 2 hours before serving but it can stay refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Sweet and spicy. This Mexican shrimp cocktail is the perfect mix of sweet, spicy, and salty. I left the jalapeño seeds in to give it a kick, but feel free to leave them out or use a bell pepper instead. You can also use a serrano pepper instead to make it more spicy.
- Can’t find clamato? Clamato is a popular Mexican tomato juice cocktail that’s used in seafood recipes and micheladas. You can find it in most grocery stores or you can also use regular or spicy tomato juice. Clamato has a thinner consistency than regular tomato juice, so just note you may have to adjust the ratios.
- Why orange soda? Orange soda is a fun and popular addition to cóctel de camaron, especially in Mexico. It adds a sweet orange flavor and the carbonation adds an interesting fizz to the mix. You can also use orange or pineapple juice if you don’t drink soda.
Nutrition Information
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
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