A good cocktail shrimp appetizer is loved by many. Shrimp cocktail is often one of the first appetizers to sell out. A lot of people can’t get enough of it, whether they’re eating out or at a catering event. What is it about shrimp cocktails that makes them so popular? Why does almost everyone offer them as a catering option?
Shrimp cocktail is a beloved appetizer found on menus across America The chilled shrimp, tangy cocktail sauce, and crisp lettuce make a refreshing start to any meal. But when and where did this iconic dish originate? As I researched the history of shrimp cocktail, I uncovered a surprising story about its beginnings over 130 years ago.
The Rise of Oyster Cocktails in the late 1800s
Before shrimp cocktail, there was oyster cocktail Oysters were extremely popular in the late 1800s, during the height of the Gilded Age Americans devoured oysters by the millions, shipping them by stagecoach and railroad to satisfy demand. Restaurants in New York and San Francisco began experimenting with chilled raw oysters doused in spicy sauce and served as a bracing alcoholic drink.
According to historian David Wondrich, the earliest known oyster cocktails were served in San Francisco saloons in the 1860s. The drink typically included oysters, tomato ketchup, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and other spices. It was touted as a hangover cure and morning eye-opener.
By 1889, the oyster cocktail had migrated East to New York. The New York Sun published a report on the West Coast delicacy, describing how to prepare the zesty oyster drink. Soon, oyster cocktails were showing up on menus in restaurants and bars nationwide.
Shrimp Cocktails Emerge in the Early 1900s
As the 20th century dawned, a new seafood cocktail was born. Shrimp cocktails likely evolved as a variation on the popular oyster cocktail. The earliest known newspaper reference to shrimp cocktail is from a 1914 advertisement for the La Salle Hotel restaurant in Chicago, offering “fresh shrimp cocktail” on its daily lunch menu.
Why make the switch from oysters to shrimp? A few likely reasons:
- Shrimp were becoming more abundant and affordable thanks to commercial trawling.
- Cooked shrimp were easier to serve than raw oysters, which had to be slurped down quickly.
- With cooked shrimp, the spicy sauce could be served on the side rather than mixed in.
By the 1920s, shrimp cocktails were showing up on fancy hotel restaurant menus nationwide. It had shifted from an alcoholic shooter to an elegant first course.
The Rise of the Modern Shrimp Cocktail
While oyster supplies dwindled in the early 20th century due to overfishing, the shrimp cocktail took off. Commercial shrimping expanded to satisfy demand. And with the advent of freezing methods, shrimp could be enjoyed anywhere, not just coastal regions.
By the 1950s-60s, shrimp cocktail had become a mainstream American appetizer. Several key factors contributed to its enduring popularity:
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Affordable luxury: Shrimp seemed exclusive at first, but mass shrimping made it affordable. Cocktail sauce also made cheap ingredients like ketchup seem special.
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Theatrical presentation: Served in a martini glass with shrimp dangling over the rim, it brought visual drama.
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All-American status: Both shrimp and ketchup had mass appeal as populist foods.
Today, shrimp cocktail remains a beloved staple on menus everywhere. Oyster cocktails are rare, but their spirit lives on in Mexican-style seafood cocktails with avocado. So the next time you crack open a chilled shrimp, toast this uniquely American classic!
Frequency of Entity References in Content Used:
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- Chicago: 1
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- lemon juice: 1
- ketchup: 2
- hotels: 1
- restaurants: 3
- bars: 2
- saloons: 1
- menus: 2
- seafood: 1
- cocktails: 5
- appetizer: 2
- chilled: 2
- sauce: 4
- spicy: 2
- alcoholic: 2
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- shooter: 1
- elegant: 1
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- affordable: 1
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What Shrimp Go In Cocktails?
There are different kinds of shrimp that can be used in recipes, but some aren’t good for cocktails. You’ll see pink shrimp, brown shrimp, and white shrimp the most. But these aren’t the most popular types of shrimp for cocktails. You’re more likely to see rock shrimp in cocktails.
Pink shrimp are the small ones that are pink after being prepared. They’re usually used in salads, not cocktails. Brown shrimp usually go in recipes where the shrimp is cooked, not served cold like in cocktails.
Rock shrimp come in jumbo sizes that make them perfect finger food. The other two kinds are too small to eat by themselves, but the rock shrimp can be a snack.
History of the Cocktail Shrimp Appetizer
Cocktail shrimp became the main appetizer at every party towards the beginning of the 1960s in the United States. There is a common misconception that shrimp cocktails originate from Britain with how popular they became there, but that’s not so. Despite being arguably even more popular in Britain than in the United States, the origins begin in San Francisco.
Shrimp cocktail is not the first shellfish cocktail to become massively popular – oyster cocktails are. In the early 1900s, a gold miner on his way home from work is said to have asked for whiskey and oysters. Having drunk everything and added horseradish, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, ketchup, and horseradish to the glass, he began to dip the oysters in it. Within a week, the restaurant was serving oyster cocktails.
But it wasn’t until 1959 in Las Vegas that an establishment thought to replace the oysters with shrimp. It was a type of shellfish that was farmed more than oysters and easy to find in many places. Shrimp also cooks faster than most shellfish, making it perfect to serve as an appetizer. You want an appetizer that you can make quickly before a meal or quickly so you can serve it to guests. Shrimp is perfect for that, better than most other shellfish.
Cocktails were originally only alcoholic drinks. They are still made with spirits, mixed with other sweet ingredients like fruit juice or cream. Slowly over time, cocktails were also the name for appetizers with small pieces of food, often served cold.
Oysters, shrimp, and most other shellfish can be served cold with just a sauce or some crackers, which fits the name of the drink well. This is why shrimp cocktails are called when shrimp is served cold with only a few small pieces of food on the side.
If you think about it, the name “cocktail shrimp” should come from the cocktail sauce. But it’s not true. Cocktail sauce as we know it now was made after cocktails with shrimp and other seafood became popular. In fact, the sauce was made to go with them.
Shrimp Cocktail History with Chef Merrick
Who invented the shrimp cocktail?
When it comes to the retro classic’s history, it’s quite a saucy one. The shrimp cocktail is so entrenched in Britain’s culinary landscape that people often assume it was invented there. Berni Inns, the chain of mock Tudor restaurants that dominated dining out in post-war Britain, have been credited with inventing the dish, as has Fanny Cradock.
What is a shrimp cocktail?
An American-style shrimp cocktail made with store-bought cocktail sauce and garnished with endive and dill. A dish of cooked seafood with a piquant sauce of some kind is of ancient origin and many varieties exist.
When did shrimp become a popular cocktail?
Shrimp, as an especially perishable ingredient, was one of the rarer seafood cocktails, and wouldn’t become the cocktail creature of choice until advances in refrigeration in the 20th century.
Who invented prawn cocktail?
Berni Inns, the chain of mock Tudor restaurants that dominated dining out in post-war Britain, have been credited with inventing the dish, as has Fanny Cradock. In fact, the shrimp, otherwise known as the prawn cocktail, owes its origins to a 19th-century miner in California.