The shrimp glass recipe
for your table
Drain the shrimp in a sieve and pat them dry with paper towels. Moisture is why a shrimp cocktail becomes watery in the glass after an hour; dry shrimp keep the sauce around them.
Stir the cocktail sauce until it is thick enough to stay on a spoon. A thin sauce sinks to the bottom of the glass and leaves the shrimp on top dry.
Place the strips of lettuce at the bottom of the glass, spoon the shrimp on top, and only then add the sauce. This order keeps the lettuce crisp because it does not sit in the liquid.
Keep the glasses in the refrigerator until serving, and squeeze lemon over them just before serving. Refill in batches instead of putting everything out at once, so nothing ever sits on the table for longer than an hour.
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Send the recipe for these New Year's Eve snacks to your own email, so you have it at hand when you make them. You will also receive a €5 discount code when you spend €50, for the glasses that go with them.
The story
New Year's Eve in the Netherlands is an evening in two halves. Before midnight, people eat and drink in the living room; after midnight, everyone goes outside and then comes back in cold. That second half is almost always forgotten when shopping, and it is exactly when hunger strikes again. The sweet part of the evening traditionally consists of oliebollen and apple fritters, but anyone who has only powdered sugar left on the table at half past twelve will notice that there is little demand for it anymore. Keeping something savoury in reserve solves that in ten minutes.
The right glass
On New Year's Eve, a glass works better than a bowl for a very practical reason: otherwise, by the end of the evening there are twenty dirty little bowls in the kitchen and someone has to rinse them first before the dishwasher can be started. One glass per snack can go straight into the machine. The straight glass below holds nine centilitres and has a thick base, so it will not easily tip over on a full table; according to the description, besides being a generous shot measure, it is also handy for a mini dessert or a layered amuse-bouche. Alongside it is a thick-walled eight-centilitre bowl for the olives, nuts and dips that you replenish in rounds. A lidded glass for sealing something for hours is not part of our range, so cover anything that needs to stand with foil in the refrigerator. You can find more small glassware for snacks among the amuse glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Cana Lisa Shot Glass 9 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochère Ouessant Amuse Bowl 8 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 31,40.
The right tools
For these New Year's Eve snacks, besides the glass, use cocktail picks to pick up the snacks without everyone rummaging through the bowl, and a citrus juicer for the lemon juice in the sauce. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 55,85.
What are you serving with it?
On New Year's Eve, there is usually one bottle open that lasts all evening. Prosecco is the practical choice for this, champagne is saved for the moment itself, and jenever or vieux goes with the doughnuts. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Shrimp is not the only filling that can sit out for hours. Tuna salad with capers and pickles works just as well and is cheaper, and a glass with smoked chicken, apple, and a spoonful of yogurt also keeps perfectly well. For a vegetarian option, choose hummus with roasted bell pepper or marinated feta with olives. If you prefer something sweet, serve a glass with quark, speculaas crumbs, and applesauce alongside for when the doughnuts are gone. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Do not put everything out at eight o'clock at once; instead, serve three rounds: one at eight, one at ten, and one after midnight, and keep the rest covered in the refrigerator until then. Fry the doughnuts and apple fritters around eleven so they are warm when the clock strikes. Have something savory ready for after the fireworks that can be on the table in ten minutes.
Good to know
Which appetizers do not dry out?
Anything with something moist around it: a shrimp cocktail with sauce, a glass of hummus topped with oil, marinated olives, feta from oil, cheese cubes from a jar. What does dry out is sliced bread, toast with toppings already on it, and puff pastry that has been sitting on the table for an hour. Put the toppings and bases out separately and let everyone stack their own.
How do you prevent appetizers from becoming soggy?
Keep wet and dry ingredients separate until the last moment. A toast with salmon becomes soggy within half an hour, but a bowl of salmon next to a container of crackers stays good all evening. The same applies in a glass: lettuce on the bottom and sauce on top, never the other way around, or the lettuce will sit in the liquid.
Serve in rounds or all at once?
In rounds. Refilling three times works better than putting everything out at once: nothing stays out of the refrigerator for longer than an hour, it looks fresh all evening, and you keep control of how much is eaten. Keep the next round covered in the refrigerator until then.
When do you fry the oliebollen and apple fritters?
Around eleven o'clock, so they're warm by midnight. You can make the batter earlier in the day and let it rise. Oliebollen fried at eight o'clock are tough and need to go back in the oven to remain edible. Apple fritters go soft faster than oliebollen, so fry them last.
What do you prepare for after midnight?
Something savory and warm, because everyone comes back cold from the fireworks and has had enough of sweet food. Soup in a cup, a pan of sausages, grilled cheese sandwiches, or a dish of oven-baked bitterballen. Set it up so it's ready on the table in ten minutes; at that point, nobody feels like cooking anymore.
How do you keep the kitchen clear?
Use small glasses instead of bowls, put out an empty container for used cocktail sticks, and clear everything away once between two rounds. Glasses can go straight into the dishwasher; a board or platter has to be washed by hand first and therefore stays there until the next morning.
Frequently asked questions
Which New Year's Eve snacks can stay out all evening?
Snacks with something moist around them don't dry out: shrimp cocktail in a glass, hummus with oil on top, marinated olives and feta, and cheese cubes. Keep anything that should stay crisp separate from anything wet, and replenish in rounds instead of putting everything out at once.
How many snacks should you plan per person on New Year's Eve?
An evening from eight until after midnight isn't drinks and snacks but a meal. Count on eight to twelve snacks per person, divided into three rounds, plus the oliebollen and something savory after midnight.
When do you fry oliebollen for New Year's Eve?
Around eleven o'clock, so they're warm when the clock strikes. You can make the batter earlier in the day and let it rise. Apple fritters go soft faster than oliebollen, so fry them last and serve them immediately.
What do you eat after midnight?
Something savory and warm. Soup in a cup, sausages, grilled cheese sandwiches, or oven-baked bitterballen. Everyone comes in cold after the fireworks and has had enough of sweet food; set it up so it's ready on the table in ten minutes.
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