A scrumptious twist on the classic Prawn Cocktail with a gorgeous creamy spicy and smoky mayonnaise dressing on a bed of crisp lettuce and avocado.
A classic prawn cocktail but with a better dressing
What Prawn Cocktails?! Too retro or perhaps a little uncool? Maybe, but here’s the thing; my family and I would never turn one down. It’s been so long since someone served me prawn cocktails as an appetiser, so I would be so excited to get one. Do you remember them being served in tall martini glasses in posh places? Haha, the good old times!
Back when I was in school, the ladies we knew used to make the prawn cocktail dressing with a simple mix of store-bought mayonnaise and tomato sauce (ketchup). Believe it or not, this cocktail dressing wasn’t too bad. Sweet and a little tangy, which complements the prawns and lettuce.
This improved cocktail dressing still uses store-bought mayonnaise and tomato sauce, but it’s so much better! With a few extra simple ingredients, it takes the dressing to another level. Smoked paprika for the smoky flavour, cayenne pepper for the heat and horseradish cream for added depth and flavour. To lighten up the dressing without losing the creaminess, I mixed sour cream with the mayonnaise.
For the salad, I didn’t have the heart to swap the modest iceberg lettuce with another fancy leaf. Iceberg lettuce brings the old-school charm that screams a classic prawn cocktail to me! Besides, they taste pretty good with a nice fresh crisp texture.
I did, however, add creamy ripe avocados to the lettuce and I have to say, it went perfectly with the prawns and dressing. You’ll never ever think prawn cocktails are boring or uncool once you’ve tried this one!
We’re back baby!
Apologies for the lack of new posts and recipes this month. Balancing a blog and having a holiday was much more challenging than I envisioned. However, we’re back and I’m trying to get back into the swing of things.
We arrived in Sydney a few days ago from Queenstown, New Zealand. I’m happy to say that things turned out much more smoothly after our dreadful, drama-filled flight on the way to Auckland!
I was the sole driver for two weeks because my husband Tomi has poor eyesight and is a nervous driver. However, this didn’t stop him from taking credit for driving the car at least once. Yes, my sweet hubby moved the car from one parking spot to another spot, but in the SAME HOTEL.
We drove from Auckland (North Island) and caught the ferry with our rental to South Island and finished at Queenstown. We were too adventurous and we should have stuck to one island because we didn’t get to spend as much time as we wanted at our favourite spots.
My first visit to New Zealand was in 2008 and it was with my sister Nara, so this is my second time. I’m truly amazed that after more than a decade New Zealand’s still pristine and beautiful. Now that we’re finally travelling again after COVID, I’m excited to post our travelling tips and experiences again.
Anyway, it’s a great feeling to be back home! I always miss our bed and my kitchen and MY COOKING when we travel. Hoping I’ll have time to catch up on writing my recipes!
We have more mouthwatering prawn recipes for you to try:
Thai Seafood soup
Papaya salad with Prawns
Prawns & Chorizo Tapas
Prawn Halloumi Watermelon Salad
Ingredients for Prawn Cocktail
Prawns – I used large fresh ‘Tiger Prawns’ from my fishmonger. Prepare the prawns by removing their heads, shells and devein them.
Mayonnaise – It makes such a difference when using good quality mayonnaise. I used full-fat whole-egg mayonnaise which is less sweet but more creamy and flavourful.
Horseradish cream adds depth and flavour to the dressing. Whole grain mustard, wasabi paste or dijon mustard will work in place of horseradish or omit it if preferred.
Smoked paprika – To get that beautifully smoky flavour in the cocktail dressing, make sure your smoked paprika is still good. It should have a strong smokey aroma, and if it doesn’t, it’s no longer good.
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How to make Prawn Cocktail
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place all the ingredients for the cocktail sauce into a small blender or food processor and blitz for 20 seconds. Have a taste, then adjust the salt and pepper to your liking or add more lemon juice for more tanginess. Transfer the dressing to a small bowl and set aside for the flavours to develop.
Peel the prawns, but leave their tails for presentation (optional), then devein and clean them.
Divide the lettuce evenly in 4 serving glasses or bowls, followed by the avocado, prawns, dressing and garnish (if using). Alternatively, place the dressing in a separate bowl and allow the guests to serve themselves.
Make in advance – You can prepare some ingredients a day in advance to make it easier when serving guests. Peel the prawns and place them in a bowl, then cover and store them in the fridge. The dressing can be prepared 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. However, the chopped avocado and lettuce will brown if left for a few hours, so it’s best to prepare them before serving.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Prawn Cocktail (spicy and smoky)
Ingredients
- 12 large freshly cooked prawns with shell (peeled & deveined) (NOTE 1)
- ½ iceberg lettuce (thinly shredded)
- 1 ripe avocado (peeled & diced into small cubes)
FOR THE COCKTAIL DRESSING
- ¼ cup sour cream (not reduced-fat)
- ¼ cup whole egg mayonnaise (good quality and not reduced-fat) (NOTE 2)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 tsp horseradish cream (NOTE 3)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (NOTE 4)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 large pinch freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL GARNISH
- lemon wedges
- saffron chilli
- micro herbs
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients for the cocktail sauce into a small blender or food processor and blitz for 20 seconds. Have a taste, then adjust the salt and pepper to your liking or add more lemon juice for more tanginess. Transfer the dressing to a small bowl and set aside for the flavours to develop.
- Peel the prawns, but leave their tails for presentation (optional), then devein and clean them.
- Divide the lettuce evenly in 4 serving glasses or bowls, followed by the avocado, prawns, dressing and garnish (if using). Alternatively, place the dressing in a separate bowl and allow the guests to serve themselves.
