Poached Shrimp with a Homemade Thousand Island Dressing You’ll Want to Slather on Everything

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6 Servings

Maybe it stems from my mother’s love of dunking fries in mayonnaise (she’s Dutch, and it’s a thing), but when it comes to condiments, mayo rules supreme in my world. It makes just about everything better, from a slice of juicy, ripe tomato to a perfectly poached shrimp. And while I love that classic steak house–style appetizer, once I swapped out cocktail sauce for Thousand Island dressing — with lots of mayo, of course — there was no turning back.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickles (from about 1/4 whole pickle)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons champagne, white wine, or distilled white vinegar
1 medium lemon
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio (optional)
1 1/2 pounds medium uncooked tail-on shrimp (36 to 40 per pound)

Instructions

Make the Thousand Island dressing:
Mince 1 garlic clove. Finely chop until you have 2 tablespoons dill pickles. Place the garlic, pickles, 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup ketchup, and 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar in a small bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the poached shrimp:
Fill a medium pot with cold water. Remove the zest from 1 medium lemon with a vegetable peeler and add to the water. Halve and squeeze the juice from the lemon (through a small strainer if you want to remove the seeds too) into the water, then add the lemon halves into the pot.
Add 4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, and 1/2 cup dry white wine if using. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, peel and devein 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp if needed but leave the tails intact.
Add the shrimp to the boiling water. Remove the pot from the heat. Let the shrimp sit in the water uncovered until pink and opaque, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cold water and a few handfuls of ice.
Drain the shrimp through a colander. Transfer the shrimp to the ice bath and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Drain the shrimp again and pat dry with paper towels. Serve with the Thousand Island dressing on the side for dipping.