I've been a fan of shrimp cocktail for as long as I can remember, maybe because I first enjoyed this old-fashioned appetizer when I was 11 years old on my birthday. Perched on a bed of crushed ice, each shrimp looked beautiful to me. The horseradish-flecked rosy cocktail sauce seemed so fancy. For years later, ordering a shrimp cocktail meant I knew what was special on the menu.

I was so enamored of this dish that I tried to replicate it at home with canned bay shrimp and Heinz chili sauce (that was what was in my mom's pantry). I made it for my friend from school and she still reminds me to this day that it was less than stellar. I have grown up a lot since those days and have prepared many renditions of this steak house favorite starter. My favorite technique by far is to roast the shrimp.

Often shrimp cocktails taste rubbery because the shrimp are boiled. Roasting shrimp makes all the difference. Dry high heat keeps the shrimp moist with a pleasing texture. The shallot-citrus coating adds robust flavor and brings out the shrimp's inherent sweetness.

There are lots of choices for complementary sauces. I'm partial to this sauce. The sweet mango puree adds a bit of island flavor to zesty cocktail sauce. You could serve this with a mustard vinaigrette or Thousand Island dressing, if you prefer. I like to present it on a beautiful platter for a cocktail party or in individual glass bowls or martini glasses for a first course. Serve with lavash, a thin, soft flatbread popular in Middle Eastern countries or other flatbread-style crackers.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Mango Cocktail Sauce

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course and 12 to 20 as an appetizer; Mango Cocktail Sauce makes about 1 cup.

2 pounds (12 to 15 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tails kept on

1 shallot, finely chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

...continued