[Amanda1620]

I have to make a shrimp cocktail in my garde manger class and i was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to present it in a creative way

[Suzanne]

What have you thought of already?

[kuan]

With music from the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid?"

[kuan]

OK the point is, this is not a place where you get others to do your homework. You need to show that you've done at least a little bit of work like, ahem, Suzanne suggests.

[Amanda1620]

I've been searching the internet and the library for ideas and i havn't been able to come up with much. most of what i've seen has been shrimp stuffed in some kind of cocktail glass. I'm thinking of doing shrimp with not only cocktail sauce but also with a pico di gallo (sorry for the spelling) or maybe doing ceviche. it's such a classic that i'm almost afriad if i go too outside the box and it not being a shrimp cocktail anymore.

[Jeffaliscous]

the way i do it is...

6 shrimp, shell on sliced down the back. arranged over a bed of lettuce w/ julliene green onion and carrot. The sauces i serve with it is a traditional cocktail sauce and a red remoulade sauce, with a small ball of prepared horse radish on a cocktail fork, a little squiggle of Sriracha sauce and a lemon wedge.


i do it on a long rectangle plate. The shrimp on the left side, the sriracha squiggle 6 to 2 oclock leading to the ball of prepared horseradish and the lemon wedge, and on the very right side of the plate, i use small silver bullets for the sauces.

When I say I, i mean the restaurant, which means my chef. I do love a good shrimp cocktail, i could eat them till i blow up.

[boar_d_laze]

pico de gallo = rooster's beak. The French equivalent is mignonette -- which actually might be a good choice.

Two things which go well with shrimp are papaya and avocado. Something to think about.

When it comes to hot, chipotle's trest is still cresting. Bufalo makes a very good and reasonably mild chipotle salsa picante. You could do worse than use it as a remoulade base. Tabasco makes one as well, but it's a little spicer. When it comes to heat, know your audience and stay just under their limit.

The reason shrimp cocktail is often served in a cocktail glass is because the glass is what makes it a cocktail. D*mmit, pay attention.

You might want to look up "sangrita" and do something along those lines. Serve with tequila shooters. It's possible to make sangrita with Clamato juice. Don't ask how I know.

Shrimp ceviche is traditionally done with small or cut-up shrimp. There are good reasons for this some of which have to do with killing the customer, lawsuits and such. You want to watch trying to deal with large pieces of less than perfectly fresh seafood by marinating in mild acid.

Smoked shrimp is very, very, good.

So is charcoal grilled. Hotter the fire the better. Make sure you get some char on those puppies, too.

I don't want to take you by the hand or anything but consider a layered parfait presentation of shrimp ceviche, avocado and papaya in a Margarita glass -- served along with a tequila shot and a shot of sangrita (standing in for cocktail sauce). Yes, you can salt and lime the rim. Yes you can serve limes and a chipotle salsa picante on the side. Fresh fry some tortilla chips to serve as utensils.

Good luck,
BDL