• Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • By Category
  • Chicken
  • Pasta
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • By Category
    • Chicken
    • Pasta
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • ×
    Home > Meal Type > Appetizers and Starters

    Thousand Island Shrimp Cocktail Pastry Cups

    Last Updated: Jun 22, 2021 · First Published: Jul 23, 2018
    Author: Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts · Comment: 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe SaveSaved!
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Pin image, close up on shrimp cocktail pastry cup with text at the top

    These Thousand Island Shrimp Cocktail Pastry Cups take two retro dishes and transform them into one delicious party food bite. The classic British Prawn Cocktail and the 70's vol-au-vent. The shrimps are stirred through a creamy thousand island sauce, enhanced with fresh dill then piled into a delicate puff pastry cup. These are the perfect easy appetizer for a party or evening entertaining.

    3 shrimp cocktail pastry cups sat on a white tray with a yellow napkin behind

    How to make your own homemade Thousand Island Sauce

    Thousand Island sauce starts with a base of mayonnaise and tomato ketchup. Very like a marie rose sauce! Both tend to have a dash of worcestershire sauce and maybe a pinch of paprika.

    However thousand island sauce tends to have a little more acidity to it, lemon juice/capers/pickles are added to give it a little more bite. In this thousand island shrimp cocktail I add chopped capers and then some fresh dill.

    The ratio of mayo to ketchup is a bit of a personal preference. Some people like it really tomatoey and others prefer the pale creamy hit of mayonnaise. My advice is taste it. Add little more mayo if it is too sharp, or if you need more oomph then add a little more ketchup.

    My perfect thousand island dressing ratio is 1:4. So for every tablespoon of ketchup I add 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise.

    white patter with shrimp cocktail pastry cups on it and curried chicken pastry ups in the background

    Can I use store bought pastry cups?

    OH YES!!!!!! If you can find pre-made pastry cups (or vol-au-vent cases) then go right ahead and use those!!!! It takes away a full step of the recipe and when we are planning for a party those little shortcuts can shave you a ton of time!

    If you can find pastry that has been made with real butter, they may cost a little more but real butter pastry is flakey and melts in the mouth.

    Want to save this recipe?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    A packet of 24 puff pastry cups will be enough for this recipe.

    Whether you use store bought or make your own, make sure they are completely cool before adding the thousand island shrimp cocktail mixture.

    overhead close up showing the cocktail sauce with fresh dill and crispy pastry cup

    For more elegant party food ideas check out:

    • Pea Fritters with Goats Cheese Cream
    • Cured Brown Sugar Salmon Skewers
    • Sheet Pan Potato Frittata Squares with Basil and Chive
    • Super Tender Pepper Beef Skewers
    • Cucumber Mousse And Dill Shrimp Bites
    • Rosemary Pineapple Mozzarella Bites
    • Lobster Mac And Cheese Bite form Chellie over at Art from My Table

    Enjoy x

    [registration_form]


    Why not pin this recipe for Shrimp Pastry Cups for later. Pin it here

    Get the Recipe

    Single shrimp cocktail pastry cup on a white plate garnished with dill

    Thousand Island Shrimp Cocktail Pastry Cups

    Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts
    These Thousand Island Shrimp Cocktail Pastry Cups take two retro dishes and transform them into one delicious party food bite. The classic British Prawn Cocktail and the 70's vol-au-vent. The shrimps are stirred through a creamy thousand island sauce, enhanced with fresh dill then piled into a delicate puff pastry cup. These are the perfect easy appetizer for a party or evening entertaining.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Party Food
    Cuisine Modern British
    Servings 24
    Calories 139 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry
    • AP flour for dusting
    • 4 tablespoon mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
    • ¼ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon capers
    • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
    • pinch paprika
    • 2 cups shelled cooked shrimp (small or medium count)
    • Fresh dill for garnish

    Instructions
     

    Prevent your screen from going dark

    To make the pastry cups

    • Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC
    • Place the pastry sheet on a floured surface to defrost.
    • Once they have defrosted take a smooth 2″ (5cm) pastry cutter and dip the edge into some flour then cut out 12 circles from each sheet of pastry. Dip the cutter after every disk.
    • Use a smaller cutter to score a smaller circle in the middle of each disk.
    • Bake for 20 minutes until golden and puffed up.
    • Remove them for from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
    • Once the cups are cooled place them onto a flat service and use the handle of a wooden spoon to carefully push the centre of the pastry cup down.
    • The cups can now be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

    To make the shrimp filling

    • Mix the mayonnaise, tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together until you have a smooth sauce.
    • Finely chop the capers and add them to the sauce along with the fresh dill and a pinch of paprika.
    • Chop the shrimps into 3 or 4 pieces and mix them into the sauce.
    • Refrigerate until needed.

    To serve

    • Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into each pastry cup and garnish with a little dill.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 139kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 157mgPotassium: 23mgVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.8mg

    Nutrition is per serving

    For more great recipes follow me on PinterestFollow @sprinklessprout
    If you love food why not subscribe to my newsletter, I will drop you an email every now and then, just to say hi and send you a couple of recipes think you might love, like these Shrimp Pastry Cups.
    It isn't everyday! I am not that organised. Usually it is once a week (ish). And as a thank you I will send you my soup cookbook FREE. Full of my fav soups!
    Subscribe today 🙂

    book_ad
    [registration_form]

    Also find me on:
    Facebook | Instagram | Twitter.
    Let's share the food love and make the world a tastier place 🙂

     

    More Appetizers and Starters

    • Close-up of golden twice baked cheese soufflés in a white baking dish
      Twice Baked Cheese Soufflé
    • super close up of two roasted shrimp on a skewer
      Baked Shrimp Skewers
    • A close-up shot of a fork lifting a piece of shrimp, cooked in a lemon and garlic broth with tender white beans and chopped fresh herbs.
      Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew
    • super close up on a triangle of sesame chicken toast
      Sesame Chicken Toast

    Comments

    1. Karen says

      July 29, 2025 at 1:37 pm

      Can these be frozen and reheated?when needed

      Reply
      • Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says

        August 04, 2025 at 7:25 am

        Hi Karen,
        I have successfully frozen the pastry cups, but the prawn mixture goes a little watery when it is frozen so I don't recommend freezing the filling.
        Hope that helps
        Cx

        Reply
    2. Wilhelmina Wessel says

      July 25, 2018 at 9:47 pm

      5 stars
      This is such an easy and elegant party app idea! Love it!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        July 27, 2018 at 12:18 pm

        They really are and everyone loves the slight retro feel 😀

        Reply
    3. Linda Nortje says

      July 25, 2018 at 6:14 pm

      5 stars
      I love using Thousand Island dressing in recipes other than over a salad and your shrimp cocktail cups look absolutely amazing !

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        July 27, 2018 at 12:18 pm

        It is one of my favourite dipping sauces 😀
        And so perfect for shrimp

        Reply
    4.67 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    a lady slurping pasta from a fork while holding a rustic bowl

    I'm Claire and I love food!!


    I dream about food and I am happiest when I am in the kitchen cooking. Whether that is dinner for my family, snacks for drinks with my girlfriends or testing new recipes for my site, the kitchen is my happy place. Sprinkles and Sprouts is where I share it all and I am so happy you are here.

    Read More →

    Popular Recipes

    • close up of a spoon with a chunk of sausage on it and some curry gravy
      Curried Sausages
    • Garlic bacon spaghetti in a large shallow grey bowl
      Easy Garlic Bacon Pasta
    • close up of the lemon orzo
      Greek Orzo with Lemon and Herbs
    • close up on a ladle of gravy pouring into a white gravy boat
      Easy Homemade Brown Gravy (no drippings)

    Latest Recipes

    • Close-up of golden rice with bits of onions and bell peppers mixed through it.
      Portuguese Rice
    • Mushroom and leek pasta with parmesan cooked in a cream cast iron pan
      Mushroom and Leek Pasta
    • a close up on sweet and sour beef with peppers and onions
      Sweet and Sour Beef
    • close-up of creamy Chicken Korma in a black shallow bowl with grey napkin
      Chicken Korma

    As featured in

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Sprinkles
    • Privacy Policy

    Contact

    • Contact

    All content, recipes and photographs are copyrighted to Claire Layton and are the property of Sprinkles and Sprouts.
    THEY MAY NOT BE REPUBLISHED IN PART OR WHOLE WITHOUT PERMISSION AND PROPER CREDIT.
    Contact me to see republishing and syndication rights.

    Copyright © 2025 Sprinkles and Sprouts

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.