This Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is a perfect no-cook party appetizer! It’s otherwise known as Cóctel de Camarónes and is shrimp combined with a slightly spicy tomato sauce and some crunchy veggies to make a fun and light appetizer.

This appetizer recipe is so easy and there’s no cooking required. Just dice, mix together, and chill. Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is perfect for a hot summer day, served in tall margarita or martini glasses.

Why It’s Great

• No Cooking – Use pre-cooked shrimp for an easy no-cook recipe.
• Fun to Serve – Serve the shrimp cocktail in margarita or martini glasses for a fun presentation.
• Prep it Ahead – The shrimp cocktail mixture is best after it chills in the fridge for an hour or two so you can prep it earlier before the party.

Ingredients for Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Grab fresh and flavorful ingredients to make this fun appetizer.

• Onion – red or white onion
• Lime Juice – fresh is best, but jarred is okay if that’s what you have on hand
• Cooked Medium Shrimp – I just buy them pre-cooked because it’s so much easier. If you want to go through the peeling, deveining and cooking part, you can certainly do that. They only take a few minutes to cook.
• Fresh Roma Tomatoes – Slice in half, scoop out the seeds, then dice.
• Celery – to make celery easy to cut and easier to eat, I like to peel off a thin layer first.
• Jalapeno – you’ll remove the seeds to bring down the spice level
• Salt and Pepper
• Clamato Juice – This is usually found with the alcohol because it’s commonly known as a drink mixer. However there is no alcohol in it. You can often also find it where you find the regular juices, like tomato juice.
• Ketchup – I buy low sugar with no added corn syrup.
• Fresh Cilantro – you’ll remove the stems and chop up the leaves, but I like to leave a few whole leaves for garnish
• Mexican Hot Sauce – My favorites are Cholula or Tapatio
• Fresh Avocados

How To Make Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Be sure to check the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions.

1. Marinate Onions – Start by mixing together the onion and lime juice and let sit for 10-15 minutes. This will soften the onions slightly, but also tone down their bite.
2. Mix Shrimp and Veggies – In a large bowl toss together the shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, cilantro, jalapeno and salt and pepper. Stir in the onions and lime juice.
3. Make Tomato Sauce and Combine – In a different bowl, whisk together the Clamato juice, ketchup, and hot sauce then pour over the shrimp mixture and stir to coat. Finally, gently fold in the diced avocados.
4. Chill – Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

For a fun presentation, serve the shrimp cocktail in big margarita or martini glasses garnished with a lime wedge on the rim and a sprinkle of extra cilantro. It’s best to serve it chilled right out of the fridge. For easy eating, set out small spoons so guests can really dig in. 

To pair with the shrimp cocktail, I like to serve crispy tortilla chips, or saltine crackers are another popular, traditional choice. If you want other appetizer options for a big spread, these Mexican pinwheels are a great addition.

Storage

This is best eaten soon after making it due to the fresh shrimp and avocado. However, you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 day.

More Recipes

• Restaurant Style Salsa
• Cheeseburger Sliders
• Classic Deviled Eggs

If you’ve made this recipe, please come back and leave us a star rating or a comment below.

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

This Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is a perfect no-cook party appetizer! It’s otherwise known as Cóctel de Camarónes and is shrimp combined with a slightly spicy tomato sauce and some crunchy veggies to make a fun and light appetizer.

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Print RecipePin RecipeReview Recipe

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 servings

Calories 236kcal

Ingredients

  

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• ⅓ cup chopped red or white onion
• ¼ cup lime juice or more to taste
• 1 pound cooked medium shrimp
• 3 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
• 1 cucumber peeled and finely diced
• 1 large stalk of celery finely diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ cups Clamato juice chilled
• ¾ cup Ketchup chilled
• 1 bunch cilantro stems removed and leaves chopped (reserve some whole leaves for garnish)
• 1-2 tablespoons Mexican hot sauce such as Cholula or Tapatio
• 2 avocados diced

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, combine onions and lime juice. Set aside to marinate for 10-15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, gently toss the cooked shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, cilantro, jalapeno and salt and pepper until combined. Stir in onions and lime juice.
• In another bowl, whisk together the Clamato juice, ketchup and hot sauce. Pour over the shrimp mixture and stir to coat.
• Gently fold in the diced avocados.
• Cover and chill for at least 1-2 hours. Serve in cocktail glasses or margarita glasses with garnishes like lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Notes

This is best eaten soon after making it due to the fresh shrimp and avocado. However, you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 day.

For a fun presentation, serve the shrimp cocktail in big margarita or martini glasses garnished with a lime wedge on the rim and a sprinkle of extra cilantro. It’s best to serve it chilled right out of the fridge. For easy eating, set out small spoons so guests can really dig in. 

To pair with the shrimp cocktail, I like to serve crispy tortilla chips, or saltine crackers are another popular, traditional choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 18gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 826mgPotassium: 955mgFiber: 6gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 907IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

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