Bloody Mary Poached Shrimp

From tailgates to funerals, these Bloody Mary-Poached Shrimp are the ultimate buffet snack. While it is always nice to serve up a classic, putting a twist on it won't scare anyone away from trying something new. Similar to your standard pickled shrimp, the addition of tomato and vodka will excite any shrimp lover attending your gathering. Don't be afraid of the vodka in the marinade; it really takes the recipe to the next level.

A bottle of Bloody Mary mix acts as the cooking liquid in this one-of-a-kind recipe. After a quick poach in the zingy, tomato-based liquid, we add in cocktail sauce, vodka, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire, celery seeds, and pepper, infusing even more flavor into the shrimp as they marinate. The result is a flavor-packed bowl of shrimp that is really the gift that keeps on giving. Running low on the Bloody Mary mix? If you don't have enough to marinate and poach the shrimp, our Test Kitchen pros say to save it for the marinade. You can poach the shrimp in water and still get flavor from the marinade.

Now that you've got the poached shrimp on the menu, the only decision is what garnishes to stock at the Bloody Mary bar.