Juicy prawns/shrimp in a creamy mayonnaise sauce served in a ripe avocado is the perfect elegant appetizer. These stuffed avocados are a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Avocado Ritz (Prawn cocktail stuffed avocados) is a fantastic, retro South African recipe. It’s the perfect appetizer for everything from dinner parties to date night in.
Ingredients
Full recipe and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Avocado.
- Shrimp/prawns.
- Lemon juice + rind.
- Peppercorns.
- Mayonnaise.
- Tomato paste.
- Ketchup.
- Worcestershire sauce.
- Lemon juice.
- Hot sauce.
- Salt and pepper.
How do you make stuffed avocado?
You can make stuffed avocados with a variety of fillings. From tuna or chicken mayonnaise to all the fillings of a delicious taco, stuffed avocados are a great way to cut down the carbs while still feeling like you’re eating something completely delicious.
The key is to make sure the avocados are perfectly ripe. Cut them in half and remove the stone then drizzle over fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Fill with your desired filling and serve.
How to make prawn cocktail?
Poach shelled and de-veined prawns/jumbo shrimp in water flavored with lemon rind, peppercorns and salt. Prawns/shrimp cook really fast and will be poached within a minute or two. The moment they turn pink and opaque, they are cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in ice water to stop cooking. Remove from the water and allow to drain well.
Combine mayonnaise, tomato paste, ketchup, lemon juice and a few drops of hot sauce then season to taste and pour over the poached prawns. Mix and serve.
Can you make prawn cocktail in advance?
You can make the prawn cocktail mix up to a day in advance and keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Slice the avocados and fill with the prawn cocktail just before serving to avoid the avocados from browning.
Shrimp recipes
- Easy garlic butter shrimp and rice
- Creamy lemon garlic shrimp pasta
- Shrimp Aglio e Olio
- White wine garlic prawns
- Easy spicy shrimp tacos

Prawn cocktail stuffed avocados
Ingredients
- 2 avocados halved and stone removed
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
For the prawn cocktail
- 500 g/1 lb prawns/shrimp (shelled and deveined)
- 2 pieces lemon rind
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- hot sauce to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Halve the avocados then remove the stones. Drizzle wit lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring a pot of water to a simmer then add the lemon rind, peppercorns and a tablespoon of salt. Fill a large bowl with water and ice.
- Poach the prawns/shrimp in the simmering water until the prawns turn pink/opaque. Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop them from cooking further.
- Drain the prawns well.
- To make the sauce, combine the mayonnaise, tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and hot sauce in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the poached prawns/shrimp and mix well.
- Spoon a generous amount of the prawn cocktail onto each avocado and sprinkle with chopped chives.
- Serve immediately.
What a great recipe. I will be doing this for a friends lunch this week. Can’t wait to try it.
Great recipe, I used Hendersons Sauce instead of Worcestershire Sauce and added some Sciracha for the heat. Poaching the prawns with lemon and peppercorns is ingenious, keeps the prawns lovely and juicy. Very tasty, thinking this should be a weekly treat ?
According to an original French recipe you add a few drops of cognac to the sauce. (I use whisky)
Such a fabulous retro recipe. Making this for our Valentine’s dinner party this weekend. Can’t wait.
Hope you love it!
This will be a sure hit for parties and game day!
Made this for dinner and we loved it. Definitely making this again!
That’s great to hear. It’s a favorite around here too.
This looks so incredibly good! I totally want to make this!
Thanks! I hope you love it.