Has this ever happened to you - you are in the middle of a recipe and forget what you are making? I'm sure this happens to everyone, right? ::crickets chirping:: Well, as you can probably guess, this happened to me when I was making this recipe. I was defrosting the shrimp and chatting away with Justin about my day. Before I realized it, I had taken all the tails off the shrimp. (I'm pretty sure I've never seen a shrimp cocktail like that.) I considered drawing tiny tails on the above picture, but thought you might notice. So instead, we laughed about it, and ate our appetizer with forks instead. If you prefer to eat your shrimp cocktail the old fashioned way, feel free to leave the tails on. :)

Shrimp cocktail has never been easier... or tastier! I will never go back to boiling shrimp again. And the homemade cocktail sauce is vastly better than the store-bought version. I definitely recommend this for your next party or just a night home.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

For the shrimp:
2 lbs. (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

For the sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
2 tsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics