Spicy Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Cocktail sauce can be bought in many forms in local grocery stores but is best homemade. My classic recipe for Spicy Homemade Cocktail Sauce adds the boomshakalaka to shrimp, oysters, crab, lobster, scallops and more! …
Spicy Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Why it’s Called Cocktail Sauce?
The origins of the name are unclear, but I found this from The Saucy Bits from Simply West Coast,
“Although people have been combining fish with spicy sauces since ancient times, the “shrimp cocktail”, as we know it today, belongs to the late 19th/early 20th century. A survey of American cookbooks confirms the combination of shellfish (most typically oysters) and a spicy tomato-based sauce (usually ketchup spiced with horseradish, tabasco, and cayenne) served in tiny cups as appetizers was extremely popular in the early part of the 20th century.
Incidentally, “cocktail” appetizers (think fruit cocktail, shrimp cocktail) were extremely popular during the 1920s, the decade of Prohibition. In the 1920s, these appetizers were actually served in “cocktail glasses” originally meant to hold alcoholic beverages. It was a creative way to use the stemware!”
What You Can put cocktail Sauce on?
Oh! the possibilities are endless. How about…
- shrimp
- crab
- crab cakes
- lobster
- oysters
- fish
- hush puppies
- hotdogs
- hamburgers
- bloody mary’s (add tomato juice and season)
- onion rings
- meatloaf
- deep fried mushrooms
- mozzarella sticks
- omelets
- deviled eggs
What Does Cocktail Sauce Taste Like?
Cocktail sauce is satisfyingly tangy and bright.
Spicy Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup freshly grated horseradish
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 cup catsup
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Chill. Store in an airtight container overnight for best flavor.
Shop Seafood Essentials
Love Seafood!
- Mini Buttery Shrimp Rolls
- Spicy Bloody Mary Shrimp Shooters
- Retro Shrimp Dip with Ruffles Potato Chips
- Seared Red Snapper with Tangy Green Apple Citrus Slaw
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Rainbow Pan Salmon
- Bite Size Southern Shrimp and Grits Appetizer
- The Best Atlantic Beach Pie with a Saltine and Graham Cracker Crust
The Best Spicy Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup freshly grated horseradish
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 cup catsup
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. Chill. Store in an airtight container overnight for best flavor.
Nutrition
PIN IT
