This homemade cocktail sauce is the perfect dip for shrimp, crab, oysters, and all your seafood. Made in minutes with simple ingredients, it's fresher and tastier than anything from a bottle.
Quick Look: Cocktail Sauce
- What it is: A tangy tomato-based dipping sauce for shrimp, crab, oysters, and seafood platters.
- Why Make THIS Version? Better than store-bought cocktail sauce, with five simple ingredients, no cooking, and heat you can adjust to taste.
- Key Ingredients: Ketchup, prepared horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
- Total Time: 5 minutes to mix, plus 30 minutes to chill for the best flavor.
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Our Favorite Seafood sauce
Try homemade cocktail sauce with your next shrimp cocktail, and you'll wonder why you haven't been making your own all this time!
With five ingredients and 5 minutes, you'll have a homemade version of this classic red sauce that goes with almost any special seafood dinner!
We live in the Florida Keys and seafood is on the table several times per week. This sauce goes with shrimp cocktail, stone crab claws, crispy crab cakes, and all your fried fish recipes like fried mahi mahi. You're going to love it!
Ingredients
- Ketchup: Use your favorite brand. Regular ketchup gives the sauce its familiar sweetness.
- Prepared horseradish: Use grated horseradish preserved in vinegar, rather than creamy horseradish sauce. Squeeze out the water before adding it to the ketchup. You can find a bottle in the refrigerator at your grocery store or on the condiment shelves.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds savory depth.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the sauce a bright, tangy flavor.
- Hot sauce: Use your favorite and adjust to taste.
How to Make Seafood Sauce
This couldn't be easier! In a small bowl, mix the ketchup, horseradish, Worcestershire, lemon juice, and hot sauce.
Stir until well combined, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Storage
Store the sauce in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator.
It will stay fresh for up to one week. Stir before serving.
What To Serve with Cocktail Sauce
Cocktail sauce is a classic match for chilled seafood, but it's just as delicious with fried fish and shellfish.
Serve it alongside shrimp cocktail, stone crab claws, peel-and-eat shrimp, boiled lobster, oysters, crab cakes, fried calamari, or pan-fried mahi mahi.
It also makes a tangy dipping sauce for French fries and crispy chicken strips.
Cocktail Sauce FAQ
Yes, you can prepare seafood sauce up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and stir well before serving.
Use prepared horseradish found in the refrigerated section for the freshest flavor. Brands like Gold's or Silver Spring are great options. Squeeze out excess liquid before adding it to the sauce.
Add more hot sauce for extra heat or reduce it for a milder flavor. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper for an additional kick.
Homemade cocktail sauce lasts up to one week in the fridge when stored in a sealed container. Stir before serving.
Cooking in The Keys is a food blog dedicated to bringing you easy fish and seafood recipes from the Florida Keys.
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Cocktail Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (squeeze out any excess liquid before adding it to the sauce so it doesn't get watery.)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about one-half of a lemon
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.
- Serve cold with shrimp cocktail, seafood platters, or as a dip for vegetables.
Suzi says
My family loved this!
Tina says
Thanks!