A prawn cocktail for 2026

Name: A prawn cocktail for 2026
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 frozen The Real Seafood Company Whole Shell-on King Prawns; 4 salad onions; 2 tbsp mayonnaise; 1 tbsp tomato ketchup; 1 tbsp sriracha; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 unwaxed lemon, zest of all, juice of ½, ½ cut into wedges; 100 g brown crab meat; 150 g packs jumbo cooked king prawns; 1 little gem lettuce, shredded; 6 radishes, finely sliced; 2 avocados, chopped; 2 tsp shichimi togarashi; Small bunch No.1 Microgreens Trio or salad cress (optional)

Give the classic prawn cocktail a very 2026 glow‑up with Waitrose cook Alex Srok's version, amped up with brown crab, spicy sriracha and a sprinkling of shichimi togarashi. Feeling indulgent? Go the whole hog and add lobster tails (see our cook’s tips for how). When there’s something to celebrate, do it properly with more of our party food recipes and dinner party recipes. Follow Alex Szrok on Instagram.

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High protein4 plant varieties

Serves4
CourseStarter
Prepare20 mins
Cook10 mins
Total time30 mins

Please note, we take every care to ensure the product, allergen and recipe information displayed is correct. However, should a product be unavailable, alternatives may be displayed and/or a substitution provided. If you have an allergy or intolerance, please always check the product label before use.

4 frozen The Real Seafood Company Whole Shell-on King Prawns
4 salad onions
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 unwaxed lemon, zest of all, juice of ½, ½ cut into wedges
100g brown crab meat
2 x 150g packs jumbo cooked king prawns
1 little gem lettuce, shredded
6 radishes, finely sliced
2 avocados, chopped
2 tsp shichimi togarashi
Small bunch No.1 Microgreens Trio or salad cress (optional)

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then add the shell-on king prawns and cook for around 8 minutes, until cooked, pink and opaque. Transfer to a bowl of iced water, then pat dry and set aside. Finely slice the white parts of the salad onions and set aside. Slice the green parts into thin batons and keep in iced water until ready to serve.
Put the mayo in a bowl with the ketchup, sriracha, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Mix well, stir in the crab meat and season. Add the cooked king prawns (reserving the shell-on king prawns) and sliced salad onion whites, then mix well and season.
Spoon into glasses, layering the prawn and crab mixture with the shredded lettuce, radishes and avocados. Top each glass with a shell on prawn and sprinkle with the shichimi togarashi and lemon zest. Drain the salad onion greens (they should have curled up in the cold water) then arrange on top with a lemon wedge and a small bunch of assorted microgreens or salad cress, if liked.

Cook’s tip

LEVEL UP

Swap the shell-on prawns for lobster tails. Buy 4 x No.1 Lobster Tails from one of our fish counters. Weigh them to work out their cook time – they need 1 minute per 30g. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the tails for their cooking time, then transfer to a bowl of iced water. Pat dry and arrange on top of the cocktail to serve.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe