I have partnered with ALDI on this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. How has your week been going friends? I had my monthly girls dinner last night and we had a great time! We only had 3 people (out of a total of 12 or so), which just goes to show you how busy this time of year is. But sometimes a smaller, more intimate group is nice because we got to really chat and catch up! ❤️ I’ve got some extra work projects going on so I’m hoping for a productive next few days. And hopefully some fun this weekend to balance it off too! Speaking of things to look forward to… we’ve got the holidays coming up and I’m really feeling ready for it! And ready for ALL the food too! My mom made today’s recipe, this shrimp martini appetizer, for me for the first time last Thanksgiving. We snacked on it while we were cooking the big meal and it was the perfect light bite!
I’ve been making this recipe since then as an easy — but fancy-seeming — appetizer to share with friends. In fact, I had some of my neighbor buddies over last week and served this up in some martini glasses. We’re all moms of little ones and it’s nice to do something a little special like this when we get together! And of course I had some wine to go with it! (Did I mention we are moms of little ones? ) It’s great to kick back sometimes and get in some adult conversation while the kids entertain themselves. And I’m lucky to have some seriously fabulous women just across the street. We’re always saying we need to do it more often - make it a regular thing to just drop by each other’s houses and share a glass of wine and a chat.
And if you want to have a lovely evening of entertaining, without all the stress that can go with it, here are my easy ABC’s:
Notes on this easy shrimp martini appetizer:
I use the ALDI pre-cooked Sea Queen Shrimp Ring to make life easy, but you could also roast your own shrimp in the oven. I’ve included directions in the recipe card if you want to do it that way. The crushed tomatoes help keep this the right consistency. Tomato juice would be too much liquid, but you could try substituting the same amount of canned petite diced tomatoes (well drained) or maybe even some salsa in a pinch. That could certainly kick it up a notch! You can control the heat of this recipe by removing the membranes and seeds of the jalapeño for less heat, or leaving some in for more heat. The horseradish and hot sauce are optional but give it a great kick! I like to add red onion to mine but you can leave it out if you prefer. These are fun served individually in martini glasses but you can also serve it up in a bowl with some chips for a group dip.
I hope you have some fun holiday parties coming up and I hope you give this easy shrimp martini appetizer a try - and make your own party anytime! Have a great weekend! XO, Kathryn P.S. Love easy appetizers for entertaining? Yeah, me too. Check out my easy microwave baked brie, holiday hummus and baked southwestern egg rolls. Also, I’ll be posting just on Tuesday next week, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
I use pre-cooked cocktail shrimp to make life easy, but you could also roast your own shrimp in the oven. Just season raw shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 for 6-8 minutes, until almost cooked through. Let cool, remove tails and coarsely chop the shrimp. Then proceed with the recipe. The crushed tomatoes help keep this the right consistency. Tomato juice would be too much liquid but you could try substituting the same amount of canned petite diced tomatoes (well drained) or maybe even some salsa in a pinch. You can use a slotted spoon to strain out any extra liquid when you go to serve this. You can control the heat of this recipe but removing the membranes and seeds of the jalapeño for less heat, or leaving some in for more heat. The horseradish and hot sauce are optional but give it a great kick! I like to add red onion to mine but you can leave it out if you prefer. These are fun served individual style in martini glasses but you can also serve it up in a bowl with some chips for a group dip at a party.
