Here’s A Classic Dutch Shrimp Cocktail For Any Special Gathering!

If you’re looking for a delicious seafood appetizer or finger food – that looks pretty fancy, too – Dutch Shrimp Cocktail is for you!

Made with cooked and seasoned shrimp and a zesty, creamy homemade cocktail sauce, this shrimp cocktail – also known as Garnalencocktail – looks beautiful in glasses with a slice of lemon.

These shrimp cocktails are often eaten at parties or receptions around the Holidays – they can serve as an appetizer at Christmas or as a finger food at New Year’s Eve parties!

serving glass with cooked shrimp and creamy sauce on a bed of lettuce with slice of lemon on the rim. — A beautiful shrimp cocktail – ready to be enjoyed!

Ingredients

To make this shrimp cocktail recipe, here are the ingredients that you’ll need:

Small salad shrimp – Get small, deshelled shrimp that are already cooked. Sometimes they can be a bit difficult to find.
Lemon – One lemon, half for the sauce and half for the shrimp.
Butter lettuce leaves – As the base for the cocktail. Make sure they are washed.
Whipping cream – To make the cocktail sauce.
Mayonnaise – To make the cocktail sauce.
Ketchup – To make the cocktail sauce.
Salt – To season the shrimp, add to taste.
Black pepper – To season the shrimp.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

This recipe isn’t difficult but before you make this Garnalencocktail, have a read through these tips and substitutions:

If you can’t find small – sometimes also called “tiny” – shrimp, you can also buy other shrimp (although it won’t be as authentic). Just make sure that they are already cooked and deshelled.
If you want to add some spice, you can add a few drops of tabasco to the cocktail sauce.
Make sure to serve the Shrimp cocktail cold and don’t let it sit out for a long period of time since it is seafood.

How to Make Dutch Shrimp Cocktail – Step by Step Instructions

In this section, you can find out exactly how to make this Dutch shrimp cocktail recipe. If you like visuals, you can look at the recipe process photos and see how you are doing!

Otherwise, you can also find the printable recipe card with all the instructions at the bottom of this post.

whipping cream in glass with immersion blender beside on white counter. — Whip the cream.

Start by pouring the whipping cream into a long, narrow container and whip it using an immersion blender.

whipped cream in glass with cut lemon beside on counter. — The whipping cream should have a thick consistency.

Keep blending until the whipping cream is as thick as Greek yogurt.

lemon juice squeezed into glass with whipped cream inside sitting on counter top. — Add the juice of half a lemon.

Now add the juice of half of the lemon to the container. Put the other half aside.

creamy orange dressing in silver spoon being lifted from glass mixing bowl on counter. — The cocktail sauce is really easy to make.

Then also add the mayonnaise and ketchup and stir with a spoon until well combined.

If you want to add a bit of spice, you can also add a few drops of tabasco sauce.

bowl of cooked shrimp with salt and pepper beside half of a lemon sitting on counter. — Add the shrimp, lemon juice and spices to a bowl.

Add the cooked shrimp to a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the juice of the remaining half lemon.

spoon sticking out of white bowl of cooked shrimp. — Make sure the shrimp are evenly coated in spices.

Mix until well combined.

shrimp in glass covering lettuce beside bowl of shrimp and more lettuce on counter. — Add a leaf of lettuce and shrimp to a serving glass.

Add one leaf of butter lettuce to each serving glass. Then add a few scoops of the shrimp, make sure to divide your portions equally.

creamy pink dressing covering small shrimp in glass on counter. — Add the sauce on top.

Now top it off with the sauce.

hand holding spoon lifting cooked shrimp and dressing out of serving glass. — Look at these tasty shrimp.

Serve the shrimp cocktail cold. Enjoy!

Storage Tips

Once you make these shrimp and the cocktail sauce, be sure to refrigerate any ingredients you don’t use right away.

For any uneaten but created shrimp cocktails, keep them chilled until serving. Do not let them sit out for hours and then decide to put them back in the fridge. Seafood, creamy sauce, and warmth do not mix!

Cover any leftover shrimp cocktails with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. Eat them the next day – you don’t want to leave them too long or they might spoil.

Related Recipes

For more awesome Dutch recipes, check out these tasty creations that you might be interested in:

Oliebollen (Dutch Doughnuts)
Dutch Bitterballen
Appelflappen (Dutch Apple Turnovers)
Kaassouffle (Dutch Cheese Snack)
Boerenkool Stamppot (Mashed Potatoes with Kale)