🍤🥑🍅 This Mexican shrimp cocktail recipe combines chilled shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, jalapeño, and creamy avocado in a tomato-based sauce, along with a bit of Mexican hot sauce for some kick! It’s perfect for entertaining or as a no-cook lunch, snack, or dinner, especially when it’s too hot to cook!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe

This Mexican-inspired shrimp cocktail is just what you need on those days when it’s too hot to cook. Or when you’re in the mood for something light yet loaded with flavor. Shrimp cocktail makes a great afternoon snack or light, no-cook, no-fuss dinner.

Shrimp, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, avocado, and more are submerged in a tomato-based broth made with ketchup and Clamato juice, setting it apart from a traditional shrimp cocktail recipe. The layers of flavor are extraordinary!

Mexican-style shrimp cocktail is also a great addition to your menu when you’re entertaining casually. Keep it in a big bowl with ice underneath, and people can help themselves. I love to serve it for everything from weeknight meals to Cinco de Mayo celebrations!

I made this as an easy appetizer for a dinner party for 10. It’s delicious. Thank you!

Andy

Ingredients and Notes

For this ultra-flavorful Mexican cocktail shrimp recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients. The list is longer, but each ingredient plays a role in creating authenticity as well as contributing to the overall depth of flavor. 

Everything is easy to find at well-stocked supermarkets:

• Shrimp – I prefer to buy frozen cooked shrimp and thaw them. Tip – If buying fresh shrimp from your grocery store, ask the butcher to peel and devein them to save you time later. Or, look for bags of deveined shrimp.  if you want to cook fresh shrimp to use for this recipe, go for it. Clean them, flash-boil them, and chill them while you prep and chop the remaining ingredients
• Red Onion – Although white onion or yellow onion is okay
• Jalapeno – Use a serrano peppers if you like more heat
• Black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Garlic cloves
• English cucumber – Although other versions of cucumbers are fine, but remove the seeds 
• Tomato – I like to use Roma tomatoes but any is fine
• Cilantro – Adds extra fabulous flavor but can be omitted if allergic
• Clamato Juice – Spicy or regular (this is essentially tomato juice + clam juice in one).
• Ketchup – Any brand
• Clam Juice – Adds lots of flavor, found near the canned shrimp and tuna. I realized that clam juice isn’t likely something one tends to keep in their pantry. However, I do recommend adding it for the depth of flavor it adds to the Mexican shrimp cocktail recipe. You can find it in any well-stocked market, usually where canned tuna is kept
• If you do need to omit it, you will need to make up that liquid volume — since it’s three-quarters of a cup — with something else. You can try extra Clamato, lime juice, hot sauce, and ketchup in ratios that make sense to you
• Mexican Hot Sauce – Such as Valentina or Tapatio
• Lime juice – Freshly squeezed is best
• Olive Oil – Adds flavor and a silkiness to the overall mouthfeel 
• Worcestershire sauce – For flavor
• Avocado – Ripe but still firm avocado
• Saltine Crackers or Chips – For serving
• Lime Wedges – For serving

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

How to Make a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

What I love about this making Mexican coctel de camarones is that it’s so easy! 

1. Literally add all the ingredients to a large bowl, except the avocado, and stir to combine. Make sure everything is in bite-sized pieces.
2. Taste and check the flavor balance and add what you think it needs, such as more lime juice, more hot sauce, more jalapeno or serrano, or more cilantro. Don’t forget that if it tastes at all bland, it likely needs more salt for sure!
3. After it tastes the way you like, add the avocado and gently stir. 
4. Cover and refrigerate it for an hour.
5. Serve with baked tortilla chips!

What to Serve with Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Chicken Enchilada Sliders

Baked Cheesy Beef Taquitos

Pozole Rojo

The Best Homemade Margaritas: All-Natural, 3-Ingredients

Tips for the Best Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

• The Mexican shrimp cocktail is much better if allowed to refrigerate for an hour before serving, both to get it really well-chilled, as well as to allow the ingredients to have to marry.
• I recommend starting with cold ingredients, especially the clam juice, Clamato, and chilled vegetables. It reduces the amount of chill time needed.
• Leave a few tails on the shrimp for an added touch when serving. It’s not necessary, but it’s a nice visual aid.
• Rinse the diced onion under cold water to take a bit of the bite out, especially if you’re a person who’s sensitive to the flavor of raw onion. This is a great trick to minimize it.
• When selecting the avocado, make sure it’s ripe but firm. Save the super soft ones for guacamole.
• Always add the avocado last so it doesn’t get stirred too much, and therefore, mushy.

More Mexican Shrimp Recipes:

ALL MY SHRIMP RECIPES

Shrimp Ceviche — The EASIEST way to make traditional shrimp ceviche, and it tastes the BEST! Ready in 30 minutes, great as an appetizer, side, or as a healthy main course that everyone LOVES!

Lime Cilantro Shrimp and Black Bean Salad – Tender juicy shrimp, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and more coated in a lime sauce that’s a FIESTA in your mouth! An EASY and HEALTHY Mexican-inspired salad that’s ready in 10 minutes!

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados – If you like ceviche, you’re going to LOVE these EASY avocados stuffed with a mixture of shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, and more – plus some hot sauce for a touch of heat! There’s a time-saving shortcut so these are ready in 15 minutes with no fuss!

Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas – EASY, ready in 30 minutes, tastes AUTHENTIC, and made on ONE sheet pan to keep things simple – especially on busy nights! You don’t need to go out to a Mexican restaurant when you can make fajitas this GOOD and healthier at home!

Avocado Mango Shrimp Salad — With tropical fruit, avocado, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and plump JUICY shrimp, this EASY 15-minute recipe will become a new FAVORITE!