Maryland Steamed Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

I made this for both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve this year. My mom always made it on special occasions growing up, especially after we left the east coast and moved to Illinois. There is no other way to eat shrimp, in my opinion!

*2 lbs uncooked, deveined shrimp (works well with or without shells)
*2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (no substitutes!)
*1 cup beer
*1 cup apple cider vinegar
*1 tsp salt

In a large pan or soup pot, combine Old Bay, beer, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp. Cover and turn off heat. Wait until there all of the shrimp turns pink. (If your shrimp is too cold, you may need to turn the heat back on and return to a boil for a couple seconds.) Drain. Serve immediately or chill for several hours and serve cold. I prefer it cold.

For the cocktail sauce:
*Ketchup
*Pure Horseradish
*Lemon Juice
*Worchershire sauce

Combine all ingredients to taste. I like mine spicy, so I add lots of horseradish.

You could buy prepared cocktail sauce, but as a seafood snob, that goes against my beliefs. It tastes so much better when you make it yourself.

Use the directions for shrimp to make Maryland Shrimp Salad. Chill the shrimp, chop it into chunks, add mayo, chopped celery, a little lemon juice, pepper and more Old Bay to taste. Serve on wheat toast with lettuce and tomato. My favorite sandwich ever!