Spicy Marinated Shrimp for a Crowd

When you’re feeding 20 people and need something that’s done before the party starts, this spicy marinated shrimp is your answer. Ten pounds of cooked, peeled shrimp layered with onions and soaked overnight in a tangy marinade of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, capers, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Drain, pile into lettuce cups, and watch them vanish.

The overnight soak is the whole point. The vinegar and lemon juice cure the cooked shrimp slightly, firming the texture while the oil, capers, and spices infuse every piece with flavor. By morning, each shrimp tastes like it was individually seasoned.

A full pint of capers with their brine is the ingredient that gives this marinade its distinctive briny, salty punch. Combined with the vinegar’s sharpness and the hot sauce’s heat, you get a marinade that’s bold enough to stand up to 10 pounds of mild shrimp.

Layering the shrimp with onions in a flat pan rather than dumping everything in a bowl ensures even marinade distribution. Every layer gets the same coverage, and the onions soften into sweet, tangy slivers overnight.

Serve cold in lettuce cups with tomato and cucumber garnish for a clean, elegant presentation that belies how easy this was to prepare.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook the shrimp until just pink and immediately rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Overcooked shrimp turn rubbery, and the overnight soak won’t fix that
• Use a flat, shallow pan for layering rather than a deep container. More surface area means better marinade contact
• The marinade separates overnight. Give it a gentle stir or shake before draining
• Make this a full 24 hours ahead if possible. The flavors deepen considerably past the 12-hour mark

Variations

• Add bay leaves and whole peppercorns to the marinade for a more traditional pickled shrimp
• Use fresh sliced onions instead of dehydrated for a sharper, crunchier onion bite
• Serve on toasted baguette rounds with a smear of cream cheese for cocktail party canapes