Brined steamed shrimp cocktail with smoked almond cocktail sauce

Pulse the almonds in a food processor to coarse meal, about twenty one-second pulses.

Add tomatoes, ketchup, sambal, horseradish, lemon juice, Old Bay, brown sugar and Worcestershire; pulse to the desired consistency, a little chunky.

Refrigerate the sauce at least three hours before serving, better overnight.

Stir room-temperature water, salt and sugar in a large container to dissolve; add the ice and set aside.

Fill a medium bowl with cold water. Cut each shrimp open across the back from front to tail with scissors, submerge and remove the vein.

Transfer each deveined shrimp to the cold brine; once all are in, soak 30 minutes.

With about 10 minutes left in the brine, bring an inch of water to a boil over high heat in a pot that holds a steamer basket and has a good lid.

Drain the shrimp, rinse briefly under cold water and arrange on the steamer basket with minimal overlap.

Drop to medium-high, cover and steam three minutes.

Rinse the bowl, fill with two to three cups of ice, and toss the shrimp in it to stop the cooking.

Peel and serve with the cocktail sauce, or serve shell on.