The retro icon done right: shrimp poached gently off the heat so they land plump, with a horseradish-forward cocktail sauce that bites back.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
6
700 g
🦐 Shrimp ›
large, peeled, tails on
1
🍋 Lemon ›
halved, plus wedges
2
🍃 Bay Leaves ›
1 tbsp
⚫ Whole Black Peppercorns ›
150 ml
🍅 Ketchup ›
2 tbsp
🌿 Horseradish ›
or more — it should sting
1 tsp
🍶 Worcestershire Sauce ›
1 tsp
🌶️ Hot Sauce ›
2 cups
🧊 Ice ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
15m
Prep
5m
Cook
20m
Total
6
Serves
Equipment
Mixing bowl
Prep checklist
Shrimp — large, peeled, tails on
Lemon — halved, plus wedges
Horseradish — or more — it should sting
3 steps
Method
1
Boil 2 liters of water with lemon halves, bay, peppercorns, and a fistful of salt; kill the heat, add the shrimp, and poach OFF the flame 3–4 minutes until just pink and curled loose.
💡
Off-heat poaching cannot rubberize shrimp. It is the gentlest cooking there is.
2
Straight into ice water 5 minutes; drain and chill.
3
Stir the sauce; taste for menace. Serve shrimp over ice around the bowl, lemon wedges everywhere.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Airtight container, 3 days.
Freezing
Usually better fresh.
Reheating
A hot dry pan or 180°C oven re-crisps almost anything in 3–5 minutes.
Make ahead
Portion into grab-and-go containers; most keep 3 days.