Garlic Herb infused Roasted Shrimp served with a homemade Cocktail Sauce, the ultimate Holiday Party Appetizer!
So I have a question. Do you have a “pre-game” before Thanksgiving Dinner? {aka… do you eat or snack before you sit down for the big turkey meal?}
I ask because I was reading the November issue of The FoodNetwork Magazine on the way to Chicago last week and there was a section entitled – “How the Stars Celebrate”.
There were a bunch of questions that each “star chef” had to answer about how they “do things” on Thanksgiving. I found myself laughing as I was reading the answers because it made me think about how we do things.
Just for kicks and giggles I thought we could answer these questions today. So.. here’s how its gonna work. I will ask the question, then answer it, and THEN I WANT you to answer it below in the comments. I seriously do want to hear the answers to these questions, plus I just think it will be fun!
Are you ready?
Here we go!
Question #1: What time is “mealtime” on Thanksgiving Day for you? We usually start eating around 2-3pm so that we have time for Round 2 at like 7pm. Woot Woot!
Question #2: What’s your Worst Thanksgiving Disaster? It was one of my first years making Thanksgiving dinner since we’ve were married. I had seasoned the turkey, put it in the oven, basted it, then removed it from the oven expecting to have some amazing experience and then realized that I forgot to take the neck and bag of liver and giblets out of the turkey before I baked it for 5 hours. Oops!
Questions #3: Do you Brine your Turkey or No Brine? No BRINE! I slather my bird in this amazing citrus garlic fresh herb compound butter and then stuff it with fresh citrus. It makes the turkey so moist and the fresh herbs and butter give it so much flavor!
Question #4: Do you have an “oddball dish” that you serve at Thanksgiving Dinner? Not really, we are pretty traditional at Thanksgiving. At Christmas we make BBQ Pork Ribs on the Grill which isn’t very typical but at Thanksgiving we are pretty normal.
Question #5: Stuffing… do you put it in the bird or out of the bird? I’m not a fan of stuffing. When we made it growing up it was gross.. {sorry mom}. But I did just make this Cranberry Maple Stuffing with Jones Sausage OUTSIDE of the bird and it may have made a stuffing lover out of me. The sweetness from the maple, tart cranberries, fresh blueberries, and apples with the salty sausage is hands down amazing!
Question #6: What is your pie of choice? Um.. is this really a question? Pumpkin… duh! Next up would be my moms Sweet Potato Pie!
Question #7: What are you most thankful for? I’m definitely thankful for my family. Being married to such an amazing Godly, patient, wise, and sexy man rocks. Plus he gave me an adorable little boy who loves his mommy. I’m one blessed woman.
Ok, that was fun!
Next up… this Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce.
I have made Shrimp on the grill before and sautéed them in the pan, but Roasted by far is my favorite. First off not only is it a super easy no fuss way to make Shrimp, no skewering or flipping involved, but the flavors of the shrimp are enhanced in the roasted process.
The fresh garlic herb seasoning of these Shrimp combined with the spicy horseradish infused cocktail sauce rocks.
We’ve had this for dinner before but it would be a great appetizer to serve before Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Dinner, or for a New Years Eve appetizer! Basically its the ultimate holiday party appetizer that will be the star of the show for sure!
- 2 lbs. of Shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon of dry basil
- salt & pepper
- ½ cup of ketchup
- 2 heaping tablespoons of horseradish
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, toss shrimp, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, dry basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss until all coated.
- Spread shrimp out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove and let cool a bit.
- In a small bowl mix ketchup and horseradish. Serve with shrimp.
Want More Holiday Appetizers?
Spinach Goat cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Proscuitto Fig & Goat Cheese Crostini
Asparagus Rollups with Balsamic Drizzle
I want these right now!!
haha.. thanks girl! I want them…. again! 🙂
They look delicious!! I’m not the biggest cook but is that 43 tablespoons of olive oil or am I reading it wrong?
Eeekkkk!!!! Typo and a major one at that! Thank you for catching it Marianna! It is 4 tablespoons, NOT 43.. sheesh that would be alot!
These shrimp look amazing! I love all the garlic and herbs on them. We always have the big turkey dinner around 5, but we generally snack a bit first with all the family being together! And I always brine (with lemon and rosemary – so good!) and stuff the turkey with my mom’s stuffing recipe. Although I always cook half of the stuffing outside the bird and then mix them – better texture that way. Pumpkin, of course. And I agree with you, family is definitely the thing I’m most thankful for as well!
Oh… the love idea of mixing the stuffings together. I like the crunch from cooking it outside the turkey but you also get alot of flavor in the bird, its the best of both worlds! 🙂 Genius!
Pumped you liked the shrimp, maybe it will make an appearance on your table for the pre-game snacking before your big dinner at 5pm. 🙂
I am with you, I just can’t really get on board with stuffing. I do kind of like cornbread dressing, but not really. And I am pretty sure I wouldn’t even consider eating it if it was stuffed in a bird! 🙂 Love this pre game shrimp though!
Cornbread Dressing is awesome! I had some in Chicago with roasted peppers and chorizo and just about feel over with amazement! So glad you liked my pre-game shrimp. 🙂
Aww Annie. You sound like my daughter who thinks stuffing is just “wet bread”. I made stuffing outside the turkey a few years ago adding raisins, browned sausage, pecans, Kahlua Liqueur, chicken broth, herbs and seasonings. It was a combination of sweet and savory. Absolutely delicious and she loved it. I cannot wait to use this garlic herb roasted shrimp recipe for dinner tomorrow evening. I just need to cut back on the horseradish because hot and spicy does not agree with me. It really looks terrific! I am not sharing the first batch. If I like it as much as I think I will, I will make it the next time my family comes here from MD. We all love seafood, but GA does not prepare seafood the way I enjoy it, so I either make it myself or wait until I visit MD to get the real deal.
Yes, outside the bird is way better.. and the kahlua you added to the stuffing!? You have me intrigued, need to give it a try!
Hope you enjoy this recipe Charlotte, make sure to cut back on that horseradish so you can enjoy it. 🙂
pass me a plate! I could eat them all by myself
haha.. you so I could. I almost did! 🙂
Ah love these questions and answers. Whoops on the bag inside the bird lol! These are just amazing!! I want 🙂
haha.. I know right! Ya live and ya learn. 🙂
First off, we usually have to eat two meals…Ugh! I can hardly move but it all tastes amazing! Secondly, I have yet to really host a Thanksgiving so my disaster is minimal. As in I was going to make oatmeal rolls and was new to yeast. I just threw the packet in without proofing it. Realizing that moment I wished I had gotten the quick rise! And I am most thankful for my loving family, husband and a warm home to celebrate all the holidays in!
And I am thankful for meeting such lovely new friends, like you, through this crazy world of blogging! 🙂
haha… love the oatmeal rolls story, sounds like something I would definitely do. I can so relate on the hardly move part too… but I feel like thanksgiving is the one day its ok. 🙂
Such a blessing meeting you too girl, totally love you and crazy yourself! 🙂
LOVE! I might not even make it to the turkey because I would want ALL of those shrimp!
haha… I think thats perfectly fine. It would be a great thanksgiving changeup. 🙂
Gorgeous!!! Drooling here…aww I’m so glad you shared theses questions and your answers. To answer a few, we also eat around 2 as well so that we can go for round 2 or 3 ;). Tim and I brined our turkey for the first time two years ago (alton brown’s recipe), and it actually turned out fantastic! A lot of work though..I’m always so confused – stuffing or dressing? But I heard that stuffing is if it’s cooked inside the bird and dressing if outside (am I correct? I’m still confused). So if that’s the case, dressing all the way!
Yes, that is correct… or at least so I’ve heard. Stuffing because it is “stuffed” inside the bird. 🙂 Funny girl! Umm… reading this just makes me think we soooo need to meet. It kills me that we are so close and we still haven’t met yet! Maybe after the new year once the holiday fog has passed. Whatcha think?
Ok, so I have left the bag inside of the bird a GAZILLION times! I think it’s my impatience. I take out what I can feel and reach for and then realize that I missed something later on. Ugh, but I’m loving these shrimp, and dying over that garlicky herb rub! Pinned!
haha… glad I”m not alone in the bag mishap! 🙂
I saw this recipe yesterday and I knew immediately it was going to be dinner. I made it, less the cocktail sauce and paired it up with a variety of vegetable and a baked potato. It was a hit!!! And it was so easy to prepare. unbelievable. the combination of flavors are perfect. the shrimp have a crunchiness to them from being roasted that completes the meal. as we were enjoying our dinner my husband and I both decided that this was going to be added to our Christmas Eve dinner as one of the fishes we will prepare. I KNOW everyone is going to wonder how I got the shrimp so tender, yet crunchy and so flavorful and it will be the heat of the evening!! Thanks so much for such a fantastic recipe!!!
Yah!!! Hurray! So excited to hear your story. Love that you paired it with vegetables and a baked potato, sounds awesome! Can’t wait to hear what the fam thinks of it for Christmas Eve 🙂
Totally agree with you on the tender yet crunchy factor. Thats my favorite part, glad I have someone else in my corner who thinks these shrimp are amazing! 🙂
Love this roasted shrimp!! Roasting it is the best! I haven’t done it in a while, you are inspiring me to make it soon 🙂
We were not very traditional as far as stuffing growing up. My family is from Italy and they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Italy 🙂 So our stuffing was made with pasta, sausage, spinach and stuffing mix. It was absolutely delicious and my kids request it all year long (but I never make it!! lol). Favorite pie…pumpkin is up there but I love any fruit pie.
Fun post! 🙂
Roasting totally is the best way.. so stinking easy because you just toss it in the oven and forget about it. 🙂
Oh my gosh I would totally love stuffing if I had what you had every year, that sounds awesome!
do you flip shrimp at half way point??? Also I imagine these are raw shrimp (correct?)
Nope, don’t touch them. They will make their own magic in the oven. 🙂 Yes mam, these are raw shrimp. Just make sure they are peeled and deveined.
I grill a tenderloin …all about the beef ,about the beef, bout the beef…..no turkey….lol (to the tune of all about the bass:))
haha… LOVE that song!
OMG I can’t wait to try this at home! Thank you for sharing!
Yah! Hope you love it Ellie!
So easy and came out soooo good.
Awesome! Glad to it hear Leah!
Those shrimp look amazing! I for sure will be trying those out. You mentioned in this post that you smear your turkey with a citrus compound butter and stuff the bird with citrus and herbs. You wouldn’t happen to have a recipe for that butter would you? or your combination of herbs and citrus for inside the bird?
Thanks!
Erika
Hey Erika,
I’m sorry I just saw this comment now… if you still need it this is what I do.
1 softened stick of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of each fresh herb chopped {rosemary, sage, thyme}
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
I smear that on the bird and then stuff the bird with 2 lemons and 1 orange and additional sage, rosemary, and thyme. Hope you love it! 🙂
Krista and Erica, about 4 days prior to cooking I mix 1/2 lb of lard with herbs (Sage, Thyme, Marjoram and garlic) and let it sit until the bird id almost ready to go in the oven. I then slather the lard/herb mixture all over the turkey and roast it empty. The lard soaks in and doesn’t run off like butter so the flavor gets into the meat…. I know, I know LARD… Try it!!!!
haha.. thanks for walk through Stu!
mmm – I just tried this on a handful of shrimp and it was delicious! “Why just a handful” you say? I have a party to go to on Thursday and I have to bring an appetizer. I knew that I wanted to bring shrimp, but I’ve been searching for just the right recipe – trying a handful of shrimp each time I thought that I had found “the” recipe. Well I think my search is over! I’ll be making these on Thursday for sure. My only question – how should i serve them? I’ll be bringing them to a friend’s house where they will likely be sitting out for a little while. Should I chill them, and put them on a plate over ice? Put them in a little chaffing dish so they stay warm? What should I do? Thanks!
Oh girl! I am sooo sorry! I just got back from Mexico yesterday night and am now getting to respond to comments! I feel horrible! I hope you were able to still bring them to the party.
I would probably serve them chilled, if they are in the chaffing dish they might start to cook through a little more and nobody likes rubbery shrimp. What did you end up doing?
On thanksgiving we eat at around 7 pm, we have all sorts of appetizers at 2 pm. I don’t stuff my turkey and it depends on how I feel whether I brine or not. Had it both ways, and both are great but I still lather the bird with thyme and rosemary butter, so yummy. I too left the giblets package in the bird and cooked, who knew they hid them in the neck area, lol. Pumpkin chiffon pie from j . j . Gandy, oh so delicious. I am thankful for my family and friends, I am truly blessed. Those shrimp look so devine, making them Christmas day!
haha… glad I’m not alone on the giblets thing. 🙂 Sounds like you have one fun thanksgiving day and I bet your christmas dinner is just as fun! 🙂
Hope you get a chance to make these yummy shrimp girl, have an awesome holiday season!
haha… glad I’m not alone on the giblets thing. 🙂 Sounds like you have one fun thanksgiving day and I bet your christmas dinner is just as fun! 🙂
Hope you love these yummy shrimp girl, have an awesome holiday season!
Think that this garlic and herb roasted shrimp will make a great appetizer for a Christmas party I have coming up.. thanks for the delicious recipe and idea!
Yah! So glad, these are totally gonna make another appearance for the holidays at my house too girl! Hope you enjoy them!
These look great!! Can you grill them? If so how long would you recommend? Thank you!
Sorry i meant 5 stars
haha.. thank you!
Absolutely! I would say probably 3-4 minutes per side until they start to turn pink. 🙂
I bought Coctail shrimp for Christmas to serve with Coctail sauce. Can I use that for this recipe???
if they are already cooked shrimp (which most of the time cocktail shrimp are) then no, you have to buy them raw and cook them yourself otherwise they are going to be really rubbery. But you can definitely use the cocktail sauce part of it. 🙂
great recipe, thank you so much.
Awesome! SO glad you liked it Bach!
We usually have our meal at 1 o’clock. Plenty of time for round 2! Never left the giblets in the turkey thank goodness! I’m a cooking bag person, please don’t judge 🙂 I always roast the turkey 1-2 days ahead, debone and get my carcass cooked down dowe for stock. I reheat the turkey and add some of the stock and I’ve never had a dry turkey. Favorite pie? Soda cracker pie hands down! A Swedish recipe from my ex’s mom. Egg whites, soda crackers, sugar vanilla and topped with real whipped cream. Phenomenal! Can’t wait to try the roasted shrimp. My other half doesn’t do seafood, maybe this will change his outlook. If not, all the more for me!
Wow thats impressive Cheryl, I’ve never heard of anyone doing that before, such a genius idea! That soda cracker pie sounds interesting!
these do look tasty and hope to try them next week end
We usually eat between 3 and 4. Love stuffing but no longer put it in the turkey. I need to try your brine next time. Can’t decide which was my worst mistake , finding out after making three pumpkin pies and as I was putting stuff away I see I used chili powder instead of cinnamon. Tears at midnight as I started all over. Or, making my awesome do ahead gravy made with fresh carrots, celery,onion, broth, peppercorns. After simmering all this for an hour I went to strain the good broth and forgot to put a bowl under the strainer. All down the drain. I have learned my lesson, I hope. Love pumpkin pie and love being surrounded by family and remembering all the wonderful memories we have made
Cant wait to hear what you think Pam! 🙂
Ohhhh… the chili powder one is a hard mess up but I could totally see myself doing that. Same letters in the beginning and for me same style of bottom.. I don’t always look at the label bc I usually put them in the same spot! 🙂
made these for game day, only I did different was put on bed of cocktail in little mini bowls for individual servings, so good! And cute! Easy too!
awesome! Love the idea of little mini servings, so cute!
I made this today, only difference I served in individual clear cups on a bed of lettuce and cocktail sauce, was a hit and made it look classy! The shrimp were yum!!
So awesome Tara! Love the bed of lettuce and individual cups! Super cute!
I am not a fan of shrimp but I know some of friends who will go crazy over this dish!!! Such a good looking delicious dish!
Thanks so much Ami! Hope your friends enjoy and they convince you to try and like it.. hehe 🙂
Made these tonight and posted a mouth watering pic of my own on FB. Really easy, so yummy. Thanks!
oh… hurray! So glad to hear it and awesome on the food watering pic girl! 🙂
Hi,
is that horseradish sauce or fresh horseradish?
Hey Kim, it is prepared horseradish in a jar but there is no mayo added to it, it’s just horseradish. Hope that helps!
My husband is not a big shrimp fan (but I AM!) and he literally wiped all the oil and seasonings off the baking pan with a piece of bread, he loved it so much! SO fast and easy, definitely a keeper! TFS!
haha… nice! Now that is a true lover! So glad to hear it Leanne!
Okay, so how do you keep the sauce from becoming a thick paste? That’s the problem I’ve had in the past when mixing ketchup and horseradish.
I’ve tried the creamed sauce (I live in England and that’s THE best horseradish sauce for roast beef), and I’ve tried the regular horseradish sauce. Both of them make a thick paste. I’ve tried thinning it with water, lemon juice, more ketchup, even cream. Just end up with more unappetizing paste than I need.
I’ve given it up and now salivate when I see pictures of lovely, scrummy looking cocktail sauce. (The English seem to like a sauce akin to Thousand Island dressing. NO thanks!)
Hmmm… Hey Marri, I usually only had 2-3 tablespoon of prepared horseradish sauce (depending on how hot I want it) to 1/2 cup of ketchup and that seems to do the trick on thickness. The cocktail sauce itself is suppose to be able to stick to the shrimp when you dunk it in. If you want it more liquidy after you try my way than I would say you could add some worchestshire sauce, lemon juice, tabasco sauce, or chili sauce (with a ketchup base like heinz or something like that).
Hope that helps Marri!
I made this for dinner tonight. Did not use cocktail sauce. It was fabulous! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Awesome, so glad to hear it Kate! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks awesome and am making it this weekend.
awesome! So glad to hear it Maria! Enjoy!
Hi there, these shrimp look amazing and I am having a cocktail party soon. Do you think I can cook these in advance and serve them at room temperature?
yes, absolutely Mary!
Worst Thanksgiving disaster? It was our first Thanksgiving in the new house and I guess I wasn’t familiar enough with the oven settings. After roasting the bird for 3-4 hours, I pulled the “tent” off only to discover the turkey was not even half way cooked!! Apparently there were two knobs to get the oven working properly. I had a houseful of guests who were the greatest!! We cut up the turkey and microwaves portions of meat. Definitely a memorable Thanksgiving!
Oh goodness! That is an awesome story to remember for years to come and what fun to be able to slice it up and microwave the bird! LOVE it! Best story ever!
What size shrimp for garlic roasted shrimp recipe, please?
I usually use large or jumbo carolyn 🙂
Is the cocktail sauce mixed with a creamy horseradish?
no, its prepared horseradish, basically like grated fresh horseradish. You can find it in the condiment aisle, i believe it’s near the mustard.
these look great! have you ever baked them a day ahead and served them cold?
Thanks Renee, and yes I have they are still great. I just prefer them warm. 🙂
This shrimp appetizer is super easy to make and it’s delicious! I would definitely make this again. Love it! Great recipe!
Thank you so much Kay! I love this recipe because of how easy it it! I actually just made it again this weekend for a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. 🙂
You gave the recipe for the Garlic Herb Roasted Shrimp but no recipe for the homemade Cocktail Sauce
Hey Dave, it’s in the there. Just at the bottom of the ingredients part and directions part. 🙂
Is it better to serve the shrimp chilled or warm with the cocktail sauce?
I like it better warm but you can serve it cold. 🙂