Shrimp Cocktail Ceviche

A perfect warm-weather meal from Casey Elsass' new book, What Can I Bring?

Since this weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, I’m going to let you in on my plan for the season: lots and lots of parties.

Once upon a time (ie, pre-2020), I used to have people over all the time. We had dinner parties and barbecues and picnics, both formal and informal, at least once a month. Friends would come by to hang out and eat whatever I could whip up from my pantry, and then they’d return the invitation and we’d pick something to throw on the grill and spend an afternoon hanging out in their backyards. Once a season or so, I’d even do something called “pie day,” when I’d make 10–12 pies and a big percolator of coffee (I own a percolator just for this purpose) and invite everyone to come overload on sugar.

But for the past couple of years, throwing parties has felt like a really big deal. Like everyone else, I got out of the habit during the pandemic and sort of forgot that I have this skill set. In the past few years, I’ve only organized parties (even dinner parties) three or four times a year. And it feels like other members of my community is doing even less than I am—I rarely get invitations to events at friends’ houses. (Granted, this number goes up a lot when we’re “home” in NYC; my food community there is a lot better at impromptu get-togethers than my newer Bay Area family.)

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My new book, SNACKING DINNERS, launched last month! Check out my events page for upcoming talks, signings, and pop-ups in the Bay Area, New York, London, and more!

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So, this summer, my plan is to have people over at least once a month—and to simply come right out and ask my friends to do the same. We all need community now more than ever, and it seems we also need practice organizing dinners, cookouts, and gatherings of all kinds. If we all agree to do it together, we can also remind each other that these gatherings don’t have to be perfect. I don’t care if dinner isn’t ready at exactly the time you thought it would be or if there’s a bag of unfolded laundry in the corner of your living room—I just want to hang out and catch up and enjoy your company.

In preparation for this plan (particularly the part about getting friends involved), I’ve been poring over Casey Elsass’ new book, What Can I Bring?, which is designed specifically to facilitate parties like the ones I want to throw (and attend). Casey, enviably, gets lots of party invitations (he’s part of that party-throwing NYC food community), and he’s put together a book of recipes specifically designed to be delicious, transportable, and welcome at any gathering.

Of course, some of the best party foods are snacks—and hearty, delicious snacks that would, on their own, make an excellent snacking dinner! So, the book has a lot of them. There’s a whole chapter of dips as well as recipes for delicious finger food-friendly dishes, such as a crostini full of cheese that would be amazing as dinner (maybe with some lox on top).

The recipe that really grabbed my attention first, however, was the shrimp cocktail ceviche. I’m a big fan of both the foods represented in this recipe—I have my own twist on classic shrimp cocktail in my book (there’s citrus and gochujang in there!) and also a halibut-coconut milk ceviche. Casey’s recipe combines the best of both ideas, leaning towards the Mexican cócteles that I first fell in love with on trips to northern Baja. The mix of flavors is an absolute winner—something I can take to parties (as the book intends) or eat by myself, with crackers or chips, as a super refreshing dinner.

Shrimp Cocktail Ceviche

Just when you thought there could not be anything more chic than a bowl of shrimp cocktail at a party, along comes Mexico, saying I can do you one better and offering up cóctel de camarón. This ceviche-influenced spin, with lightly poached shrimp swimming in a tomato sauce spiked with ketchup, plenty of lime, some crisp veg, and you already know there’s hot sauce in there, is absolute perfection. The traditional serving vessel is a saltine, which is so gorgeous I could cry.

Serves 6

Kosher salt
Ice
1 pound frozen peeled shrimp (large, or around 26 to 30 per pound)
1 cup Clamato
1⁄2 cup ketchup
1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice (from 3 to 4 limes)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Mexican hot sauce, such as Valentina
4 Persian or mini cucumbers, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Saltines, for serving

1. In a large saucepan, whisk 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and immediately add the frozen shrimp. Cover and set a timer for 5 minutes. While the shrimp are poaching, fill a large bowl halfway with ice water and another 1 tablespoon salt. When the timer goes off, check a few shrimp to make sure they’re fully opaque. (Back in for 1 minute if they’re not!) Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to the ice bath and chill for about 5 minutes until they’re completely cool. Now is a really great time to chop your cucumber and onion.

2. Drain the shrimp and remove the tails if they’re not already off. Wash and dry the large ice bath bowl. She’s coming back. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels, then chop each shrimp crosswise into thirds.

3. In a medium serving bowl, whisk the Clamato, ketchup, lime juice, pepper, and hot sauce. Fold in the shrimp, cucumbers, and onion. Taste for seasoning— there’s a rumor going around that I like to add about 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt to help wake everything up, I don’t know how that started. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Just before serving, freshly chop the cilantro and fold in.

4. Load up that large bowl with ice and set the serving bowl inside it to keep the shrimp nice and cold. Serve with open sleeves of saltines to spoon on little cracker bites.

PARTY TRICK

*If you’re making this ahead, wrap the cilantro in damp paper towels. The saltines and shrimp cocktail are ready to go. Bring the large bowl along or ask your host if they have one (plus some ice) you can borrow.

Photos: Gentl and Hyers; Food Stylist: Tyna Hoang. Prop Stylist: Stephanie De Luca.) Recipe reprinted with permission from What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass © 2025. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group.