What about you? What are some of your favorite uses for cocktail sauce? Yep! Just add some tomato juice and a bit of celery salt – and you’re on your way to making a delicious bloody Mary for brunch. However, my favorite use of cocktail sauce (other than as a sauce for shrimp) is as a bloody Mary starter. I’ve had great luck in the past adding a bit of mayo and using it as a salad dressing (almost like Thousand Island with a bite). Well, it makes a delicious dip for things like veggie and mozzarella sticks. Chances are, if you order a chilled seafood tower at a restaurant, it’ll come with a container of cocktail sauce right next to the mignonette.īut what about some other uses for cocktail sauce? Now it’s pretty obvious that this homemade cocktail sauce recipe pairs effortlessly with shrimp, oysters, clams and crab. And I keep extra horseradish on the side in case I feel like adding a bit more.īut if you like your cocktail sauce without horseradish, then go for it! When making recipes at home, you can totally tailor them to your taste! I prefer a spicy cocktail sauce, so I’m a little heavy handed with the horseradish and hot sauce. But that’s totally not necessary (just a preference).Īlso, when making this sauce, you’re the absolute boss. I feel like giving it a couple of days in the fridge really brings the flavors together. When whipping up shrimp cocktail at home I actually like to make the sauce a couple of days in advance.

Add all the ingredients to a bowl, mix well and serve.One of the coolest things about making cocktail sauce at home is that you’ve probably got everything you need in your pantry! Even worcestershire sauce is pretty easy to track down at your corner grocery store – or you can grab it on Amazon.Īnd you won’t believe how easy it is to make in less than 5 minutes. But if you like your oyster and shrimp sauce spicy, you know what to do! Worcestershire Sauce: This fermented wonder-sauce is a mixture of vinegar, molasses, anchovies and tamarind (to name a few ingredients) and manages to impart an umami element that is both bright and earthy.Lemon Juice: I like to use fresh squeezed lemon juice as a tart, acid element.And, much like wasabi or Chinese hot mustard, eating too much horseradish in one bite will definitely let your sinuses know its there 🙂 Horseradish: In the same family as mustard and wasabi, you KNOW horseradish packs a punch! It delivers a spicy burn that comes almost as quickly as it dissipates.Ketchup: Yep, the condiment of all condiments forms the tomato base of our sauce.And while the flavor seems complex, it is actually an easy-to-make mixture of a few common composed kitchen condiments. It is common to find cocktail sauce in use at most raw bars and oyster bars. Used most often as a cold dipping sauce for steamed or boiled shrimp, cocktail sauce is a tart, savory and sometimes spicy tomato based sauce that can actually be an accompaniment to any seafood. Therefore, that’s one of the traditions I have brought with me.Īnd I’ve got a delicious cocktail sauce recipe that is so easy to make – all you need is a handful of pantry ingredients and 5 minutes. The shrimp was cold and perfectly springy – and the horseradish in the sauce quickly became my favorite thing about the holidays.īy the time I was in my teens, the thought of celebrating New Year’s Eve without shrimp cocktail seemed preposterous. My brother and I tended to pay extra special attention to that tray. It always seemed so fancy and cultured to have a crown of cocktail shrimp on ice surrounding a bowl of tangy, savory and spicy cocktail sauce AT HOME. There was always a gargantuan veggie, cheese and olive tray – and, you guessed it, a massive shrimp cocktail. She’s an absolute champ!Īnyway, our frugality took a break on New Year’s Eve. And while we always had a roof over our heads and good food on the table, my Mom had to be creative when budgeting for family meals and school clothes, etc. We didn’t have a ton of money when I was growing up. Get ready to try the best cocktail sauce! Make your shrimp cocktail the life of the party with this zingy dipping sauce! Works with all seafood.

Cocktail sauce recipe