The perfect no-cook party food or Christmas Day starter, these Prawn Cocktail Canapés are a MUST at your Christmas party buffet. Ready in less than 10 minutes with just a few ingredients, it's a classic prawn cocktail loaded into a lettuce leaf for a bite sized prawn canapé for that classic nostalgic retro vibe.
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Prawn cocktail is such a retro British classic. Usually served up as a starter on Christmas day in a fancy bowl or glass, we have given a party food twist to it.
These prawn cocktail boats look so impressive, but they are SO easy to put together and you can even prep them ahead of time. They are easy to adapt too and it's the perfect canapé with prawns.
It's some prawns mixed with a homemade (or store-bought) Marie Rose sauce, loaded on to a mini lettuce leaf with some tomatoes and fresh herbs.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Prawns - We used cooked fresh king prawns. If you are using frozen prawns, you will need to defrost them thoroughly first and if using raw prawns then they will need to be cooked first.
- Marie Rose Sauce - We used our Easy Marie Rose Sauce, however you can use a jar of good quality store bought version if you prefer.
- Cucumber and tomato - This bulks out the prawn cocktail canapés and adds some texture. Make sure they are finely diced.
- Lettuce - We used little gem, but you could make bigger versions with romaine or iceberg.
Prawn Cocktail Canapé Variations
We added diced cucumber and tomato to bulk them out a bit (prawns aren't cheap, right?!), but you could add diced bell pepper, spring onions or grated carrot too.
For some extra creaminess, you could add a slice of avocado to each lettuce boat. Prawn and avocado are a classic combination.
If you want to make a more traditional version of this, try our Ultimate Prawn Cocktail Recipe.
How to Make Prawn Cocktail Canapés
- Step 1: Mix together the prawns and Marie Rose sauce until all the prawns are coated.
- Step 2: Separate eight lettuce leaves and put them onto a serving board.
- Step 3: Divide the tomato and cucumber between the lettuce leaves.
- Step 4: Divide the prawn filling between all the leaves and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped chives.
Dannii's Top Tips
- For a bit of a fruity twist to these prawn cocktail cups, you can add diced mango. Make sure it is really fresh and ripe though.
- You can swap fresh chives for dill if you prefer.
- The size of little gems vary, so buy some extra just incase the leaves are small.
- For some extra flavour, you can chop up some sun-dried tomatoes to mix with the fresh tomatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen prawns in this recipe, just don't forget to defrost them first! Don't worry if you forget to defrost them in time though. Empty the frozen prawns into a large bowl and cover with cold water and drain. Repeat this step a couple of times, then cover with cold water again and leave for 15 minutes until defrosted.
You can chop everything up and mix the prawns with the sauce in advance and then assemble it just before serving. Don't fill them any more than 20 minutes before serving.
More Party Food Recipes
If you've tried this prawn canapé recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Prawn Cocktail Canapés
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.25 oz) Cooked king prawns
- 140 g (0.66 cups) Marie Rose Sauce
- 8 Lettuce leaves - little gem
- 0.25 Cucumber - diced
- 6 Cherry tomato - diced
- 5 g (2 tablespoon) Chives - chopped
Instructions
- Mix together 150 g Cooked king prawns and 140 g Marie Rose Sauce until all the prawns are coated.
- Separate 8 Lettuce leaves.
- Divide 6 Cherry tomato and 0.25 Cucumber between the lettuce leaves.
- Divide the coated prawns between all the leaves and top with 5 g Chives.
Recipe Tips
- For a bit of a fruity twist to these prawn canapés, you can add diced mango. Make sure it is really fresh and ripe though.
- You can swap fresh chives for dill if you prefer.
- The size of little gems vary, so buy some extra just incase the leaves are small.
- For some extra flavour, you can chop up some sun-dried tomatoes to mix with the fresh tomatoes.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
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