While shrimp goes great with just about anything, it’s still vital to know what to serve with shrimp cocktail that can complement the flavors of the food on your table.
When you’re looking to serve a fancy spread on your dinner table, it doesn’t get any better than starting it off with a classy shrimp cocktail.
Everyone loves devouring shrimp that’s tender but still firm and sweetly plump, providing all the textures and umami flavors that can be the life of your party.
A shrimp cocktail is a seafood dish of cooked shrimp or prawns served in a bowl slathered with cocktail sauce and lemon juice that became the most popular hors d’oeuvre for parties in the 1960s to the late 80s.
Since then, serving shrimp cocktails has become a standard for providing an elegant dining experience for your guests.
Here are some ideas for tasty accompaniments that can raise your eating experience when serving shrimp cocktails.
From Hush Puppies to Sweet & Spicy Plantain Salad to Parmesan Zucchini Fries, these delicious side dishes are going to make your tastebuds dance with happiness.
Coleslaw is mainly a popular side dish that can go perfectly with just about any meal.
Adding some slaw on the side for your shrimp cocktail adds refreshing sensations to your dinner, with flavors and textures that support the sweet plumpness of the shrimp.
Typically comprised of a bowl of shredded vegetables, starting with a traditional cabbage base, serving creamy coleslaw can provide a layer of crunch to every bite.
The creaminess of the coleslaw comes from its added ingredients for maximum flavoring, including mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.
You surely won’t go wrong with your bowl of veggies on hand to serve with your shrimp cocktail.
2. Potato Salad
Potato Salad is another classic when it comes to a recipe that’s perfect for family gatherings, parties, and any type of get-togethers.
It’s even more perfect when paired with a delectable shrimp cocktail.
Creamy potatoes served light and full of flavor become a great side dish to shrimp cocktail since they won’t overpower the shrimp; instead, it complements and highlights the shrimp’s deliciousness.
This recipe is a simple go-to option for Potato Salad that uses fresh ingredients and seasoned potatoes for the best outcome, with a creamy dressing that makes it all the more appealing.
You can also mix and match ingredients to add to your Potato Salad according to your preference, allowing you to experiment with flavors to make it your own.
3. Hush Puppies
Hush Puppies are small, savory golden fritters made from a thick cornmeal-based batter that is often served alongside seafood, making it ideal for pairing with a shrimp cocktail.
These deep-fried round balls are crisp on the outside and tender-chewy on the inside, which perfectly complements the plumpness of the shrimp.
These delicious Hush Puppies combine the flavors of sweet onion and buttermilk while using Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix that you can quickly whip up at home.
Since a shrimp cocktail is a mix of soft and tender textures, adding more of a bite to the meal can be a great option.
This Roasted Asparagus recipe baked with parmesan is a simple and delightful choice that can complement your shrimp cocktail.
Asparagus stalks seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper, added with parmesan cheese, can provide a savory combination to the sweet and luscious taste of the shrimp.
Roasting asparagus removes its natural bitterness, producing a salty, savory, munchable vegetable that’s still snappy and fresh.
A delightful offering of Tex-Mex Ranch Potatoes can be a great side dish to your shrimp cocktail.
This simple potato dish is easy to make with a few simple ingredients that add so much flavor!
It features baby potatoes seasoned with taco seasoning, slathered in ranch dressing, and piled with lots of cheese and bacon.
These creamy potatoes are gooey and luscious, with the bacon adding saltiness and crunch that make it all the more appetizing.
Many say that this variation of the potato side dish is the ultimate choice when it comes to savory and creamy greatness, which pairs well with the mild but flavorful shrimp cocktail.
A great summer salad you can whip up in under 20 minutes is this Burrata Salad with Stone Fruit and Asparagus.
This recipe highlights Burrata cheese, which is a cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream.
Burrata’s flavor profile is milky and buttery, with a delicate texture that adds a creamy finish to your salad.
This type of mild cheese goes well with the slight almond flavor in stone fruits, while the asparagus provides an extra layer of crunch.
This easy no-cook recipe can feed a crowd and pairs perfectly with your delicious shrimp cocktail.
Having Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables paired with a shrimp cocktail is a tasty side dish that can add more color to your table.
From your choice of Mediterranean vegetable options such as peppers, zucchini, red onions, and cherry tomatoes, you can lay a delicious roasted vegetable plate while also being able to add in other veggie options you may prefer, like broccoli and others.
Coat each vegetable with olive oil and herbs or a Mediterranean seasoning blend to provide plenty of flavors, roasting inside the oven until it all becomes softened and slightly charred.
Sweet and succulent shrimp pairs very well with the creamy texture and the spicy flavor of this Polenta with Spicy Marinara Sauce.
Polenta is a North Italian dish made from ground corn, with cornmeal whisked into a deliciously smooth liquid that’s rich and creamy.
It may take effort and time to achieve the most optimal polenta consistency, but the results are well worth it.
Marinara sauce and polenta are baked into an impressive dish that’s flavorful with a pleasant spiciness, and all the flavors elevate each bite with shrimp so perfectly.
Shrimp cocktail can be creamy and rich with the cocktail sauce and the shrimp’s innate sweetness, so pairing it with something smoky and spicy can be an enriching experience.
This Patatas Bravas recipe is crispy and enjoyable, with a tangy, spicy, and smoky roasted tomato sauce.
Pairing potatoes with your light shrimp cocktail is excellent, with potatoes being so filling and flavorful.
And with the coupled tomato aioli sauce, you simply can’t go wrong.
Steamed eggplants are moist and tender since steaming instead of roasting the vegetable keeps the flesh soft but flavorful.
The texture might differ from differently cooked eggplants, with the delicate smoothness of the eggplant providing a unique sensation.
This silky soft and tender creation is seasoned with vinegar, soy, ginger, and sesame, providing aromatic flavors that jump out from the plate.
A truly plant-based treat, this Sweet and Spicy Plantain Salad is full of color and flavor that can liven up your table spread.
Plantains are full of natural sugars, which provide plenty of sweetness you can taste when it’s fully ripe.
They contain so much flavor when the plantains are browned over the stove.
This recipe features thickly cut plantains with plenty of other fresh ingredients that fill up the flavor factor to the brim.
Mushrooms go well with shrimp cocktail, but grilled button mushrooms are certainly the way to go.
Button mushrooms can be sliced or grilled whole and placed on skewers with other ingredients like a kebab.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper before placing them on the grill, and watch as the heat brings out the caramelization as the mushrooms roast.
Add some savory garlic butter sauce and a super delicious and simple side dish for your shrimp cocktail.
13. Green Bean Salad
Serving green beans can complement any dish and will pair perfectly with your shrimp cocktail.
A Green Bean Salad is easy to make, with a freshness and crunch that can lighten the meal when you’re loading up on some savory and spiced-up shrimp.
Green beans are simmered in water and then cooked in a skillet before being tossed with a citrus dressing with feta, toasted almonds, and basil.
This recipe is an exciting way of presenting zucchini differently.
Sliced zucchini are prepared into strips, seasoned with salt and pepper, before coating them in a mix of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, which are all roasted in the oven for 15 minutes.
The result is Parmesan Zucchini Fries that can be a great side dish or snack.
You can also add more flavors by using your favorite dipping sauce.
While biting into your tender shrimp, having something with a bit of a crunch can be appetizing, especially when it adds to the savory goodness of your meal.
This recipe is an easy-to-make process that pushes the flavors of sweet and tender corn by incorporating a rich and flavorful cream sauce using a slow-cooker.
Cooking Creamed Corn in a crock pot makes it simple and convenient without having to constantly look over the process as it slowly meshes together.
It takes just a few minutes to whip it up, and you’ll be enjoying the sweet corn in no time.
The bottom line
A shrimp cocktail is a great appetizer that can liven up your guests’ tastebuds at any gathering.
It’s simple, straightforward, and succulent and can be paired with many different side dishes.
Knowing what to serve with shrimp cocktail can help you pick out the flavor profiles you wish to highlight and experience, to maximize the enjoyment of your delicious meal.
What To Serve With Shrimp Cocktail🍴
Here are 15 easy side dish recipes to try when you’re unsure what to serve with shrimp cocktail to complete your delicious meal.
Ingredients
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Potato Salad
- Hush Puppies
- Roasted Asparagus With Parmesan
- Tex-Mex Ranch Potatoes
- Burrata Salad With Stone Fruit & Asparagus
- Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
- Polenta With Spicy Marinara Sauce
- Patatas Bravas with Tomato Aioli
- Seasoned Steamed Eggplant
- Sweet & Spicy Plantain Salad
- Grilled Mushrooms
- Green Bean Salad
- Parmesan Zucchini Fries
- Slow-Cooker Creamed Corn
Instructions
- Find your favorite recipe from our What to Serve With Shrimp Cocktail list.
- Gather all the ingredients needed.
- Start cooking and make us proud!