Perfecting the prawn cocktail

A few days ago, a friend texted me out of the blue. “Man eating prawns with dip on the train,” she said. “Quite rogue, if you ask me.” I knew the snack she was talking about. Two plastic compartments: six prawns in one; pink cocktail dip in the other. “Really?” I replied. “I do that all the time.”

Nothing beats a prawn cocktail. I have eaten it as a pre-dinner snack. I have served it at parties. I have dipped an enormous prawn into spicy sauce at Chiltern Firehouse. I have, on a few occasions, eaten leftover prawn cocktail for breakfast. First popularised by 1960s television chef Fanny Cradock, the traditional recipe calls for Marie Rose sauce – mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and lemon – served with prawns and iceberg lettuce. Riffs on the above are extensive and controversial.

The first question to ask is: shrimp or prawn (which are actually two different species)? In a sandwich, I want shrimp, which in the UK tends to mean the smaller variety of crustacean. Larger varieties are better for salads and starters. At New England-inspired Mayfair restaurant The Maine, founder Joey Ghazal serves a “Colossal Shrimp Cocktail” that calls for “U7” shrimp (the number refers to how many prawns make up a kilogram). 

I have, on a few occasions, eaten leftover prawn cocktail for breakfast

The next question: shelled and precooked or fresh? If you’re serious about prawn cocktail – and this is serious business – I suggest fresh. “Half an hour spent peeling prawns with a glass of something delicious is in no way a chore,” says Seldon Curry, head chef at the Seaside Boarding House in Dorset. “You can make stock with the shells if you are that way inclined.” 

In my two favourite recipes, American cooks Hailee Catalano and Alison Roman poach theirs in a court-bouillon, an aromatic liquid of celery, peppercorns and lemon. They let the broth infuse for about 40 minutes, but only add the shrimp – shells-on – for about three minutes. Whether to remove the veins is a matter of personal preference: I choose not to. But whatever you do, be sure to plunge your prawns into an ice bath after poaching to prevent them from overcooking. Then you’re ready to de-shell – and, if you must, de-vein. 

If I’m dipping I like to eat prawns with their tails on, whole. Some find this disgusting, but any good cook will tell you this is only natural. “It’s the best part,” admits Pavyllon chef Benjamin Ferra Y Castell, who serves a “not-so-classic” tails-on prawn cocktail with parmesan and trout roe at the restaurant at Four Seasons Park Lane.

As to the Marie Rose sauce, I like mine ketchup-heavy. For every tablespoon of mayonnaise I add double the amount of tomato ketchup, plus two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. You might also add a splash of brandy – see classic prawn cocktail recipes such as The Wolseley’s – or vodka like Manzi’s chef Christian Turner. “Nothing less in quality than Russian Standard,” he says. Heat-wise, Tabasco (three tablespoons) usually comes up trumps, but I’m tempted by Carousel head chef Ollie Templeton’s suggestion of Valentina Red hot sauce. And if it isn’t already clear that my taste buds are shot, I’m also partial to a dollop of grated horseradish. 

Traditionally prawn cocktail is served on a bed of iceberg lettuce, plus tomatoes, avocado or cucumber – anything that adds texture. My favourite way is to hang them around a bowl. “I like making them look like little synchronised swimmers,” says Roman in her tutorial for a shrimp cocktail party. She intersperses the shrimp with slices of lemon.

But the point is to make it how you like it. You might want to add grated Granny Smith and white radish like Fitzrovia pub The George. Or take a leaf out of the Claridge’s book and upgrade to crab, lobster and caviar. New restaurant Nessa adds a serving of prawn cocktail crisps (another favourite); Jack Stein of Rick Stein Restaurants puts miso in his mayonnaise. “A perfectly cooked shrimp dipped in your own cocktail sauce is really special,” says Roman. “It feels silly, fun – and it might boost your spirits”. 

For the love of a prawn – how to serve it

Harlie Browne Studio Les Crevettes stoneware plate, from £58

Maison Balzac prawn cocktail platter, £108

Prawn cocktail is silly and fun, yes, but it’s also a simple way to be extravagant. There’s something charming about eating a dish that’s so perfectly pink. All the better if it’s served on themed crockery (I like Harlie Brown Studio’s Les Crevettes plate or Maison Balzac’s prawn cocktail platter). You can, of course, buy your prawn cocktail pre-made: My Supper Hero offers a deluxe option (£35), and I also rate the classic cocktail from M&S. However you make it, this is party food at its festive best.