For Shrimp Cocktail That's 10 Times Better, Use Jacques Pépin's Genius Technique

Jacques Pépin is a living legend, an expert in cuisines French and otherwise. Like his peer, and oftentimes collaborator, Julia Child, Pépin has garnered a bit of a cult following among home cooks and foodies alike. He has a number of indispensable nuggets of cooking wisdom that can elevate pretty much any recipe. For instance, his temperature tip has completely changed how we fry up our eggs every morning. Similarly, there is one cocktail party staple that Pépin has a particularly interesting and flavorful take on: shrimp cocktail.

While this iconic old-school appetizer is rather sparse, consisting only of cooked shrimp and cocktail sauce, it is still rich in flavor. So how much of a twist can someone put on it? Well, a lot actually. According to a recipe shared on Pépin's Instagram, the key to a super flavorful shrimp cocktail is in poaching the crustaceans in a quick shrimp stock rather than water. And you can make one easily using those discarded shrimp shells. Rather than disposing off the shells, simmer them in a pot along with onions, red pepper flakes, herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning blend, water, and white wine vinegar to make a stock in which to poach your shrimp. This will give your dish a deeper herbal, savory, and slightly spicy flavor that will make it far more distinctive than, say, a Kirkland brand shrimp tray (though that is also quite tasty). 

To finish off his shrimp cocktail, Pépin serves this dish with a homemade cocktail sauce featuring sriracha and rice vinegar in addition to the horseradish and ketchup. He also adds an extra dash of flavor by serving the broth alongside the shrimp for dipping. 

Now, let's say you are making shrimp cocktail with store-bought shrimp that has already been shelled. Well, not to worry. You can still make use of Jacques Pépin's advice. Rather than making a stock from leftover shell scraps, you can buy a boxed seafood broth or stock and add the seasonings recommended by Pépin to boost its flavor.  You can also use a lighter broth such as chicken broth (or stock) as a base if that is all you have on hand. In fact, you can also totally use clam juice for poaching if you prefer a brinier flavor. While this won't perfectly replicate Pépin's recipe, you'll still use the essence of his tip to enhance your shrimp cocktail's flavor. 

As for the sauce, you can take Pépin's lead by giving it a sriracha twist. Or, if you prefer, you can make your own tweaks to the cocktail sauce. For instance, you can add a bit of Worcestershire sauce for an umami twist, or a touch of clam juice to add to the salinity. You can also swap sriracha for other hot sauces such as Texas Pete or Tabasco if you want a tangier twist. You can also abandon the cocktail sauce entirely and serve your shrimp with a freshly made remoulade sauce or a super creamy tartar sauce. Either will work for this delicious appetizer.