A State-by-State Guide to the Most Iconic Foods in America

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Nevada: Shrimp Cocktail

Nevada’s most iconic food isn’t tied to farming or ranching, but rather to the glitz of Las Vegas: the classic shrimp cocktail. This retro appetizer became a Vegas sensation in the 1950s when a downtown casino started practically giving them away to entice gamblers, and it’s been a Sin City staple ever since. A traditional shrimp cocktail is served in a stemmed glass (often a sundae or martini glass) with a cocktail sauce made of ketchup, horseradish, lemon, and Worcestershire in the bottom, and a ring of chilled boiled shrimp hanging over the rim. It’s elegant yet simple finger food. The origin story is that the idea of serving seafood with spicy sauce in a cocktail glass came from an early 20th-century mining camp concoction (originally using oysters) that was later adapted in Las Vegas using shrimp. By swapping oysters for more readily available shrimp, a Las Vegas bar created the version we know today. Casinos like the Golden Gate made headlines with their affordable shrimp cocktails, and they became a must-have Vegas experience for visitors. While modern Las Vegas has countless extravagant dining options, you can still find an old-school shrimp cocktail to savor the city’s culinary nostalgia. It remains an iconic taste of Nevada – a little bit of luxury in a glass, recalling the vintage charm of Vegas in its Rat Pack heyday.