Shrimp cocktail is a refreshing and indulgent dish that will add a very nice touch to a potluck. Maggie in Roswell is serving shrimp at her church choir potluck in the upcoming weeks and there’s much debate among the organizers about how much to shrimp serve as a side dish. One thing to know about shrimp – you can never buy too much because most folks just love it. And, while everyone knows shrimp is a treat - that makes us sneak as many onto our plates as seems appropriate because we know it’s going to quickly disappear. Let us suggest that you serve your shrimp in cocktail cups or even plastic champagne glasses – that way you can control everyone’s portions and no one is left disappointed. Regardless, you should purchase a minimum of three shrimp per person. Decide if you prefer to serve large shrimp or smaller, less expensive shrimp. What’s more important to you? Then, assuming you’ve also set a budget, purchase the right number of pounds for your group of 70 people. Fortunately, most fish mongers sell shrimp by sizes.

Assuming three shrimp per person, here are your purchasing guidelines according to the size of shrimp you like.

$$$ 21-25’s are large size shrimp and 1 pound will give you between 21-25 shrimp. Purchase 8 1/2 pounds.
$$ 26-30’s are medium size shrimp and 1 pound will give you between 26-30 shrimp. Purchase 7 pounds.
$ 31-35’s are smaller shrimp and 1 pound will give you between 31-35 shrimp. Purchase 6 pounds.

If you decide upon more shrimp per person, then just adjust the pounds you purchase up. We hope that helps you and your potluck is great fun!

~ Chef Cary