I usually get reasonably big shrimp- sorry, no idea what number, but the edible part should be at least the size of your pinky finger, if not a bit larger. I prefer to buy raw shrimp- even better, raw shrimp tails, which are pre-peeled - because I want to be sure they are de-veined before cooking, which many cooked shrimp are not.

When cooking, take care not to over cook them as they become dry.

I buy raw,peeled,deveined, 15-20 count. I roast them. Does not take long at all.

If you are lazy, buy peeled, deveined and steamed shrimp and simply put it out with cocktail sauce.

If you want to do it right, buy raw shrimp in the shell and boil themw ith shrimp boil seasoninge, peel, devein and chill.

Buy shrimp that are ahout 15 to a pound for good big shrimp.

For shrimp cocktail, I often buy cooked shrimp, 26/30 count. If I am going to cook them myself, I buy 21/25 count and boil them with the peels on and shell them after they are cooled. I do devein them before I boil them, and I make a slit in the shell to do this. It is less work if you buy larger shrimp, but I like the somewhat smaller ones for cocktail.

I also use my own cocktail sauce, which I make with homemade chili sauce, horseradish, and lime juice. I don't like cocktail sauce made with ketchup. I make the chili sauce with ancho, pasilla, and guallio chilies, plus garlic and oregano. It's not that spicy, but it has more flavor and spice than ketchup. I also prefer lime juice to lemon juice.

How long do you boil them? What seasonings to add to the water?

@mxk3 z5b_MI, They take a few minutes to cook, depending on size of the shrimp. ( Few meaning between 4 and 9.) Old Bay Seasoning, lemon quarters and water if you are steaming or boiling them.

Do you have a Whole Foods nearby? These are the best wild gulf shhrimp i've had in years...

Or look for similar. I like a nice larger size for 'cocktail'. 16/20. Frozen shelled and de-veined is fine but i prefer doing the prep myself. Avoid cooked/frozen. Most likely they were frozen on the shrimp boat, then cooked, then re-frozen. So many re-calls lately on the cooked/frozen because it is thawed and eaten without cooking in the home.

I usually guess at three per person for an app or on a cocktail party table. A party of 12 guess that 3 or four don't like shrimp.

The bag should give a good indication of the time needed for boiling or steaming for the size.

Have an ice bath ready. A tray or two of ice in cold water to chill quickly and stop the cooking process. I cook mine in the shell, then peel and clean when cool. Into a zip-lock, with lemon slices, onto a bowl of more ice, then into the fridge.

I love NewOrleans BBQ shrimp, (just black pepper roasted in the oven), OldBay for a boil, but 'cocktail' i keep it simple, just lemon served with side of coctail sauce, extra horseradish and a bit of yogurt, sour cream or mayo. Peeled, cleaned and butterflied for a seafood chowder or with pasta dishes.

*the re-call is still under investigation because many have it in their freezers for the holidays and don't know about the re-call. I'm sure most are no longer in groceries. Same with cooked diced frozen chicken made into chicken salad. Used in hospitals and institutions like nursing homes and sickened many.

I bet a few y-tube videos exist that will walk you through the process. I just watched a couple videos making latkes i'm making tomorrow.

Easy travel. Put the bag of cold shrimp into a bag of ice. I squeeze a bit of lemon just before serving.

I do not add seasonings to the water when I boil shrimp - not even lemon, although you can if you want to. I want to taste the shrimp instead of seasonings.

If you buy smaller shrimp, they may take only 3 minutes, and they are done as soon as they turn pink. Remove them from the water when this happens - they will continue to cook after they are out of the water, unless you plunge them into ice water. They will be opaque when they are done.

This is all very helpful, you guys -- thank you!!

I do have a Whole Foods within driving distance, I'll keep an eye out for sale on that 365 brand.

I was trying to think of something good for dinner tonight. Shrimp quesadillas were a front-runner, but now I think I’ll go simple and just have shrimp cocktail. Lately, the prepared horseradish that I get isn’t hot enought. Might have to spice up the sauce with a dash of Tabasco!

All those packaged "Easy-Peel" shrimps have been chemically treated so they can stay fresher and give that crunchy mouth feel that people want. Just like what they have done to scallops, terrible!.

For me they don't taste like shrimps. Unfortunately here in NY we can't get live shrimps like in France and in many Asian countries. For making shrimp cocktails, I buy frozen shrimps with head on in Chinese stores. They come in a 5 - lb frozen brick, They are much fresher than in any stores or supermarkets.

dcarch

Here, we'd just boil them in plain water; Stop as soon as the water comes back to the boil. The flavour will come from your sauce.

If you have a really good fish market, I would buy wild caught, precooked and deveined shrimp. My fish market has really delicious and fresh shrimp, all wild caught (don't by farmed, it's awful). If you are an inexperienced shrimp cooker, sheller and deveiner, I wouldn't want to risk it for party food. I don't know how fresh Whole foods precooked shrimp is, but I have had plenty of shrimp party trays from Costco and the shrimp is delicious.

So....how many pounds of shrimp for about 10 people? I'm thinking 2 pounds?

I would not go less than 1/4 lb per person and all the way up to 1/2 lb per person. It all depends on what role your dish is playing. Is it an appetizer before a substantial dinner? Is it an appetizer for a cocktail party with ”heavy hors d’oeuvres?” If the latter, will it be one of the main protein dishes?

I found this article that has a chart of how many shrimp per pound for different sizes. And how many per serving. https://stripedspatula.com/shrimp-sizes/

And another chart about size that includes aproximate cooking times. HERE

I think it is easy to get a tray from Costco or pre-deveined and cooked frozen or many other prepped dealios...but... i feel if you want to learn and might like cooking and learning...in the future...and enjoy it. Why not take the simple time prepping only one item to take to a gathering. Watch a y-tube video 'how to prep and devein shrimp'...or if you don't care of give a shi*ts ...that is ok. I have so many friends that have no interest in any cooking prep at all. They buy Costco or TJ's appetizers or chesse/meat offerings and i welcome that as any attempts at real edible from scratch food by them is dismal.

Thanks for all the help, guys!