How to Make Shrimp Cocktail

Buy 1 to 1.5 pounds of 16/20 shrimp - that means 16 to 20 shrimp per pound, the perfect cocktail size. Buy them either fresh or frozen, but never thawed at the store (you don't know how long they've been sitting). If frozen, thaw them yourself overnight in the fridge.

To devein with the shells on: cut a slit through the back of each shell to expose the dark vein, then pull the vein out with a paper towel. Stop the slit where the tail begins - you want to leave the tail intact for serving. The shells protect the flesh from the hot water and keep the texture tender.

Pour 6 cups of water into a medium pot and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. While it comes up to a boil, juice 2 lemons directly into the water and toss in the spent lemon halves too - they'll keep releasing flavor as the liquid heats.

Add 1/4 cup kosher salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Salt + sugar + lemon is the simple but crucial trio that turns plain water into actually flavorful poaching liquid. Bland shrimp comes from skipping this step.

Have a bowl with 8 cups of ice ready next to the stove BEFORE you start cooking. Once the poaching liquid is at a full boil and the salt and sugar are dissolved, turn off the heat and drop all the shrimp in at once.

Set a timer for exactly 3 minutes 30 seconds. The instant the timer hits zero, plunge the entire bowl of ice straight into the pot. The temperature drops fast and the cooking stops. This is the difference between perfect tender shrimp and rubbery overcooked ones - 30 seconds late is 20 percent overcooked.

While the shrimp chills in the ice bath, make the cocktail sauce in a small bowl. Add 1 cup Heinz chili sauce (NOT ketchup - chili sauce has onion, garlic, and spices already built in), 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest, 3/4 teaspoon Tabasco, and 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.

Whisk everything together until smooth. Taste and adjust - you want a punchy balance of sweet, acidic, spicy, and pungent. If your cocktail sauce tastes flat, you probably need more horseradish.

Drain the shrimp from the ice bath - the chilled poaching liquid has done its job. Discard the spent lemons and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.

Peel each shell off but leave the last tail segment intact. The tail acts as a built-in handle for dipping and gives the shrimp the classic curled cocktail shape on the plate. Recruit help if you're peeling more than a pound - it goes faster with a few sets of hands.

Spread a layer of crushed ice on a serving platter. Arrange the peeled shrimp around the edge with the tails facing out so guests have something to grab. Place a small bowl of the cocktail sauce in the middle of the platter and scatter lemon wedges around the edges.

Serve immediately while the shrimp is cold and the cocktail sauce is fresh. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the platter right before the first bite for a final hit of brightness. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 1 day, but the texture is best on day one.