Are you tired of serving the same old shrimp cocktail appetizer year after year? If so, I may be able to help. As a former special events planner, I happen to know of a few shrimp appetizers that may be just what you are looking for. Here they are:
Baked Shrimp in Sour Cream
Baked shrimp in sour cream is a tasty seafood appetizer that you may enjoy. It will take you roughly 20 minutes to complete the appetizer. In order to make the dish, you’ll need ½ pounds of cooked and peeled shrimp. You’ll also need ½ cup of sour cream, 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, white bread crumbs and seasonings.
Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, place the cooked and peeled shrimp into individual ramekins. Continue by seasoning the shrimp as desired and topping them with the sour cream. Then sprinkle a thin layer of bread crumbs and a bit of unsalted butter over the sour cream. Afterward, pop the shrimp filled ramekins into the oven and let them bake for 10 minutes. If you want to give the dishes a golden top coat, finish them in the broiler for a minute or two before serving.
Stuffed Shrimp with Barbecue Sauce
In my opinion, stuffed shrimp with barbecue sauce makes an excellent appetizer as well because it can be prepped ahead of time. It will traditionally take one hour to prep the dish and roughly 5 minutes to cook it. In order to make the dish, you’ll need large shrimp, barbecue sauce and stuffing.
Start by peeling and deveining the shrimp. Next, make your stuffing and barbecue sauce. Stuffing the shrimp is easy. All you need to do is take some cold stuffing and sandwich it in between two shrimp. Then attach the two shrimp together with toothpicks and place them inside a shallow baking dish. Continue the procedure until all the shrimp have been stuffed. Then place the pan in the refrigerator until you are ready to heat and serve the shrimp. When you are ready to heat and serve the shrimp, remove the pan from the refrigerator. Then liberally coat the shrimp with barbecue sauce and broil them for 5 or 6 minutes before serving. That is all there is to it.
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Based on my experience, a seafood platter filled with bacon wrapped shrimp with and without jalapenos should receive rave reviews. Both appetizers are easy to make. Basically, all you need to do is wrap peeled and deveined shrimp with bacon. If you want to add heat, stuff some of the shrimp with jalapeno peppers before wrapping them in the bacon. Afterward, run a toothpick through each piece of shrimp so the bacon will stay in place. Then fry each one until the bacon is cooked through. Once that’s done line the shrimp up onto a platter and serve.
Coconut shrimp will undoubtedly please some of your party guests as well. I’d suggest that you consider making a big batch and serving it with a heaping bowl of duck sauce. If you have never made coconut shrimp before, don’t worry. There are various websites that contain great coconut shrimp recipes. Most involve using a beer batter and white flaked coconut. Of course you could also switch the flavor up a bit by substituting the white coconut with toasted coconut. I think it tastes just as good.
Shrimp and Avocado Salsa
Last but not least, you may also want to consider whipping up a batch of shrimp and avocado salsa. It is typically made with chopped shrimp, chopped avocados, chopped cucumber and more. My favorite shrimp and avocado salsa recipe is posted on the Taste of Home website. In my opinion, it has just the right amount of lime. Many people serve shrimp and avocado salsa with tortilla chips. I, however, also like serving it with small slices of French bread.
Source: Personal Experience
Killeen Gonzalez has a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. She is a former special events planner.
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