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These pretty little no-bake nibbles are perfect for passing around at a party or offering up on a buffet table.
Simple Prawn Cocktail Canapés are so delicious and can be made up in no time. And who doesn’t love a retro classic when celebrating for a dose of tradition and nostalgia?!
Prawn Cocktail is the classic 80s-inspired starter. It still features on many a British Christmas Dinner table today, because we all love a timeless classic during the festive season.
These Prawn Cocktail Canapés are an adapted version of the starter-in-a-glass and can be served up at any time of year for quick and easy finger food that looks impressive and tastes so good, but is actually put together in minutes.
Why you’ll love this Prawn Cocktail recipe
⭐️ Inexpensive but impressive
⭐️ Simple but tastes so good
⭐️ Food nostalgia!
Sarah’s Notes
What I love the most about making a tray of these Prawn Cocktail Canapés is how little faff and prep goes into them. But despite the simplicity, they look lovely and decadent, and they always go down a treat with guests.
The little gem lettuce has a perfect bite-size cup, which I use the inner leaves of for this recipe as they’re a bit more robust for handling. I save the outer leaves to use in salads.
Another little win is that you can prepare everything ahead of time, and all that’s left to do is just fill the cups with the prawn filling before you serve, which means less time in the kitchen and more time with your friends and family!
Prawn Cocktail Ingredients
- Little gem lettuces – They are the perfect size
- Prawns – Peeled and cooked
- Mayonnaise – Any type is fine here
- Tomato ketchup
- Worcestershire Sauce – Or Henderson’s Relish
- Paprika – To sprinkle
- Chives – To garnish (optional)
How to make Prawn Cocktail Cups
1. Separate and wash the inner leaves of the lettuce. Prepare the prawns and prawn cocktail sauce in a bowl.
2. When ready to serve, spoon the filling into the leaves and sprinkle with paprika and chopped chives.
Substitutions
Marie Rose sauce – This is a simple recipe made up of mayo, ketchup and Worcester sauce, but you can use a ready-made sauce if you prefer.
Recipe Tips
Portion sizes
This is a small portion size, being suitable for 6 people as ‘nibbles’ or canapés served with other dishes too. If you’re only serving this as a starter I’d suggest double the recipe for 6.
Lettuce
The recipe says 2 lettuces, but sometimes I only need 1, annoyingly this really depends on the leaves incase they are not the right size. Save any you don’t use for salads of course.
Make this as a classic prawn cocktail instead
Using the same ingredients, simply chop up the lettuce and serve inside a small glass bowl as a starter for a sit-down meal.
More easy Christmas canapés and nibbles
FAQs
Yes, just defrost them according to the pack instructions before using.
Do this by prepping up to the end of step 2 in the recipe. Store the separated leaves and the prawns in the sauce (in a covered bowl) in the fridge over night. All that’s left is to fill the cups just before serving.
Don’t fill them more than 15 minutes before serving (ideally) as the lettuce will go a little floppy.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Prawn Cocktail Canapés
Ingredients
- 2 Little gem lettuces
- 300 g Cooked and peeled prawns
- 100 g Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, or Henderson's Relish
To serve:
- Pinch of paprika, To sprinkle
- Fresh chives, Finely chopped
Instructions
- Cut away the base of the lettuces and carefully separate the leaves. Wash and dry the leaves.
- Mix the prawns with the mayonnaise, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.
- Spoon the filling into the lettuce leaves just before serving and sprinkle with a little paprika and/or a few chopped chives.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Because of the little Gem lettuces, this ended up being the perfect two-bite appetizer. No utensils necessary. The prawns are delicious with this sauce, or bottled Thousand Island. So easy to make!
Super easy, super quick and super tasty. I diced plum tomatoes and gibbons to top mine. Great for a healthy lunch in an iceberg lettuce too.