Looking for an easy seafood appetizer for your next party? Shrimp and Endive Cups are just what you need. If you are a fan of shrimp salad, these are sure to please.
Super easy to make. Great for entertaining. Pair them with these cucumber boats.
Sweet and spicy shrimp nestled in crisp endive leaves. Elegant, refreshing and so delicious. Low-carb, gluten-free, and a hit at any party.
When it comes to entertaining, I like it to be as stress-free as possible. Spending time with my guests is what it is all about.
Appetizers are a must at any party. Sometimes you can even make them the main event. I am not opposed to grazing on them instead of a huge meal. Cold or hot, they are always delicious.
We happen to love using shrimp in recipes. I always have bags of frozen shrimp waiting in the freezer. Super easy to work with. Quick to cook. Perfect in so many dishes. Have you tried this quick zoodles and shrimp stir fry? Great for any busy weeknight. Better than takeout too.
Shrimp And Endive Appetizer Ingredients
There are some unique flavours to these seafood appetizers.
- shrimp
- chipotle oil
- sweet chili sauce
- fig balsamic
- endive leaves
- enoki mushrooms
- sunflower shoots
As always I have included some substitutions below, these can be made so many ways.
Preparing These Shrimp Bites
They look fancy, but the effort is minimal. It’s always great when you can impress your guests with easy-to-make appetizer recipes.
Step One: Mix the sweet chili sauce with the fig balsamic and set aside.
Step Two: Wash the Belgian endive leaves, mushrooms, and pea shoots and set aside.
Step Three: Cook the shrimp.
Step Four: Assemble the shrimp stuffed endive leaves (see directions in recipe card) and serve.
Suggestions/Recipe Tips
Shrimp and be served hot or cold. I prefer to quickly cook mine, but cold shrimp appetizers are always delicious. The choice is yours. Be sure you use ready-cooked shrimp if you are serving them cold.
Mushrooms of any kind can be used. I think Enoki mushrooms are really elegant, but feel free to use whatever kind you like.
Sunflower shoots can be replaced with sprouts or even grated carrots.
Chipotle oil is used to cook the shrimp and adds a bit of heat. Any oil will work, and if you are serving cold shrimp you can skip this step.
Topping of sweet chili sauce and fig balsamic is so good. You can just use the sweet chili sauce on its own. You can also drizzle with a balsamic reduction if you prefer.
Serve these as soon as possible so the shrimp are still warm. If you are making them with cold shrimp, they can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge until needed.
What Is Endive?
Is endive a lettuce? It is a bitter tasting salad green that happens to be part of the chicory family. Did you know there are actually 3 kinds of endive?
Belgian endive (which is used in this recipe) is a small cylindrical head of lettuce. The leaves can be easily separated, making it perefect for appetizers. It can be used in salads, braised or baked. It also comes in a red varitey known as radicchio.
Frisée is darker in colour with a curly almost lacy texture, and has a more pronouned bitter taste. Perfect for using in salads.
Escarole is broad leafed and the least bitter of all the varities. The inner leaves are good for salad. The outer leaves are best used in soups and cooked dishes.
Shrimp Boats
Ingredients
- 12 Medium shrimp (thawed if frozen)
- 2 teaspoons Chipotle flavoured olive oil (or any spicy oil you like)
For the drizzle:
- 1 tablespoon Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Fig balsamic vinegar
For the endive cups:
- 6 Belgian endive leaves
- 3-4 Enoki mushrooms (per individual endive cup)
- 3-4 Sunflower shoots (per individual endive cup)
Instructions
- Mix the chili sauce and fig balsamic and set aside.
- Prepare the endive cups. In each cup add some sunflower shoots and enoki mushrooms. Place on a serving tray and set aside.
- If you are using fresh shrimp, remove shell, clean, rinse and pat dry. If you are using frozen shrimp, rinse and pat dry.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the shrimp until cooked. About 40 seconds per side (depending if you are using raw or pre cooked shrimp)
- Place 2 shrimp on each endive cup.
- Drizzle with the chili/fig sauce. Serve with and assortment of fresh veggies and dip.
Meg
Wow, the chili balsamic drizzle on these is amazing. Thank you for such a fun entertaining recipe that makes everyone comment on how good they are!!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
It’s fun to empress your guests with easy to make recipes.
Swathi
Easy spicy and sweet shrimp endive cups is delicious my family enjoyed it
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Glad you and your family enjoyed this shrimp appetizer.
Ana
These were a real crowd-pleaser! They were light, tasty, and perfect for a quick, elegant snack.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
A sure hit at any party, easy to make as well.
Katie Crenshaw
I made this with fresh local shrimp from here as an appetizer for a party.The presentation was lovely. My guests loved the shrimp endive cups. They were a huge hit.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I find these are a hit at my parties too.
Veronika
Endive is something I always tell myself I need to use more often whenever I make something with it. We loved these little cups, they made a great dinner starter!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Elegant and easy are wins for me.
Krystle
LOVE the sweet and spicy flavors going on. These were a huge hit at my party.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Glad you and your guests enjoyed them.
Nicole
These feel so fancy but are so doable! I love putting them out for guests. Everyone was very impressed
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I love impressing my guests to with easy to make recipes.
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
Looks wonderful! Great presentation!
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much.
Derek | Dad With A Pan
This is a great looking way to server up finger foods! We’re a huge shrimp family so this will go over well in our home!
Homemade & Yummy
It is easy and delicious…hope you like it.
Fred
This looks delish, I would love to try it with some heat!
Homemade & Yummy
Yup..they would be perfect with heat too!!
Jamala Wallace
First I’d like to say this pic needs to be in Bon Appétit magazine! Excellent photo shoot.. and these look like the perfect appetizer for our ladies brunch. I’ll share with the crew
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much….they are tasty and so easy to make.
jacquee | i sugar coat it!
I love using endive as a vessel for appetizers. Love how you have plated them.
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much.
Tiffany
These look incredible! I’ve never even heard of Chipotle olive oil but that’s so smart. I love fig balsamic and I love endive cups – such a delicious and pretty way to present food without the carbs or extra calories!
Homemade & Yummy
Healthy can be delicious.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Yummm!! This shrimp looks delicious! This is definitely one that I will have to try!
Homemade & Yummy
Sure hope you do…it is easy and so delicious.
Kimberly @ Berly's Kitchen
We like to make quick and easy snacks on the weekends instead of making big meals. This would be perfect for that! They sound light, fresh, and simple to make. Your pictures make them look really tasty.
Homemade & Yummy
Thank you so much for the awesome compliments. They are easy and delicious.