12 Easy Dipping Sauce Recipes for Shrimp
Need a unique dip for your shrimp cocktail appetizer? Or, introduce kids to shrimp with a tray of different dipping sauces for shrimp to see which one they like best.
Do your kids like shrimp?
My girls were both initially hesitant to try them but I used a few tried and true mommy tricks to coax them into trying them.
Hint? It is all about the dipping sauces to help entice them to try the new food.
Now roasted shrimp cocktail is one of the holiday appetizers they most look forward to having each year.
I hope this list of easy shrimp dipping sauces help you to enjoy a delicious seafood dinner with your family or set out a new shrimp cocktail for your next party!
12 Easy Shrimp Dipping Sauce Recipes Kids Love
If your kids are new to shrimp, a fun way to get them to try a taste is to offer a little tray of dips for them to dunk the shrimp in.
Make the game more about which dip is the tastiest so their attention is slightly distracted from the shrimp itself.
For the record, the Peanut will eat just about anything if there is mustard involved. Little Pea is obsessed with Chick-Fil-A sauce.
So whether you're looking for a fun way to introduce shrimp to your kids or a new twist on a classic shrimp cocktail, there's sure to be a dipping sauce on this list that works perfectly for you.
Start with Perfect Shrimp
The tastiest shrimp for dipping starts with perfectly cooked shrimp. To get perfectly cooked shrimp, you need two important steps:
1. Thaw the Shrimp Properly
If you're working with a bag of frozen shrimp, learn the best way to thaw frozen shrimp here.
2. Cook them Perfectly
Then, once they are thawed, use this trick for perfectly roasted shrimp for your appetizer tray.
In a rush? You can use still-frozen shrimp with this easy boiled shrimp recipe in just THREE minutes!
Pick Your Favorite Shrimp Sauce (or Two!)
Then, pile up those gorgeous pink shrimp on a platter and tuck in a few dipping cups of one or two of these delicious sauces for dipping shrimp:
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Homemade Remoulade
My all-time favorite seafood dip is a spicy remoulade sauce.
I’ve tried store-bought prepared ones and they never hold up to the deliciousness of a homemade version.
My easy remoulade sauce for crab cakes works just as great as a shrimp dipping sauce.
Homemade Tartar Sauce
When you make your own homemade tartar sauce, you can make it either sweet or vinegary to match your mood.
Homemade Yum Yum Sauce
This easy homemade yum yum sauce is great for making yum yum shrimp to serve over jasmine rice for dinner, but my kids love it as a condiment for dipping cooked shrimp or even chicken nuggets!
Bang Bang Sauce
This Bonefish Grill copycat recipe of their super popular bang bang shrimp appetizer is also delicious as a dipping sauce for shrimp or even chicken!
Sweet and spicy and just the perfect amount of creamy, my easy homemade bang bang sauce recipe comes together with 5 ingredients in just a minute:
Spicy Sandwich Sauce
Originally this spicy sauce recipe was used for making reuben sandwiches, but it would make an absolutely perfect dipping sauce for shrimp, too.
You could even use it to drizzle over shrimp on a delicious toasted bun for a homemade shrimp po'boy sandwich.
Funky Ketchup
We all know that straight-up ketchup is likely to be most kids’ preferred dipping sauce but I love this slight twist of a ketchup-mustard version.
Get the recipe here.
Cocktail Sauce
I always have a spicy jar of cocktail sauce in our fridge, but you can find mild prepared ones at the store that are wonderful. If you feel called to make one from scratch, this is our favorite cocktail sauce:
Get the recipe here.
Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce
Fish is a conduit for butter. Period.
Can you think of anything yummier than a garlic butter shrimp dipping sauce?? Me neither.
Get the recipe here.
Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce
And for the kids who are still totally skeptical about this fish business, serving up a dip they are more familiar with from their favorite fast-food chain definitely can’t hurt.
Though it was made for chicken, this homemade copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce is a surprisingly awesome dip for fish.
Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Cilantro can be hit or miss with kids.
If yours love it like I do, this easy cilantro lime ranch sauce recipe is a great dip for spicy shrimp or for pairing with baked coconut shrimp.
Buffalo Sauce
If you're looking for a little heat, buffalo sauce actually makes a fantastic dip for shrimp, especially crispy breaded shrimp.
Creamier than regular cocktail sauce, this homemade buffalo sauce recipe takes just 5 minutes and 3 ingredients to make.
Chimichurri Sauce
If you're looking for a brighter, fresher dipping sauce, my easy chimichurri sauce has oodles of parsley, cilantro, and red wine vinegar. It would be an amazing dip for roasted shrimp as well as the steak marinade the original recipe mentions.
Chipotle Aoli
Don't be intimidated, this is just a fancy name for flavored mayo. Plain mayo is not my favorite, but mix in chipotle powder, lime juice, fresh cilantro and other seasonings, and I'm sold! This would be perfect for topping a shrimp taco as well as a tasty shrimp dip.
Get the recipe here.
More Seafood Recipes for Kids
Want to help teach your kids to love shrimp and other seafood dishes? Don't miss these family-friendly seafood recipes they're sure to love:
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