One of my very favorite things in this world is shrimp cocktail. Is there anything more delicious? And what makes a shrimp cocktail so delicious? A good cocktail sauce, of course. Even if you use shrimp which have been thawed from the freezer, a really good cocktail sauce will make all the difference. Today I am going to give you the recipe for a really good cocktail sauce.
Here is our board with all the ingredients to make the best cocktail sauce ever.
We start with four tablespoons of prepared horseradish.
Next, we need a large lemon, cut in half.
Juice both halves of the lemon. Make sure you get every drop out of the lemon. If you are using large, organic lemons, then one lemon should give you four tablespoons of juice. If you are using the small, bagged lemons, you will need at least two lemons and possibly three to make four tablespoons of lemon juice.
This lemon gave me just exactly four tablespoons of juice. I will also suggest you use regular lemons and not Meyer lemons for this recipe.
Add the lemon juice to the prepared horseradish.
Add one-half teaspoon of coarse salt.
Use a small spatula to fully incorporate these first three ingredients.
Now we are going to add the ketchup. I used French's without high fructose corn syrup, which, quite honestly, I cannot tell any difference from ketchup with high fructose corn syrup. Use whichever you like.
In with one and a half cups of ketchup altogether. I measured it out in quarter cup measurements. It was easier for me to handle that way.
Here we have added our full measure of ketchup to the horseradish and lemon and salt mixture.
Next up, a half teaspoon of hot sauce. I suppose you could leave this out, ... but don't. It doesn't add that much heat to the mix but it does add some nice boldness.
Now it's time for a little sweet hot mustard. I used this from Hickory Farms, which added a nice zing.
Just one-half teaspoon is all you need.
Then give the mixture a thorough mix using a large handheld whisk. And there you have the most delicious cocktail sauce in the world.
To store, transfer to a glass bowl. Storing in glass is the preferred way of keeping this cocktail sauce. In plastic it may take on an odd taste and the plastic will likely take on the scent of cocktail sauce which might not be easily washed away.
This little square glass dish with matching top is the perfect size for storage.
Into the refrigerator until party time. If it sits overnight in the refrigerator, all the better. It will be even more robust for the party. Of course, you don't need to have a party to make delicious cocktail sauce. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you a use for it during the week that I think you will enjoy.
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| Classic Shrimp Cocktail in Martini Glass |
Cocktail Sauce Supreme
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1-1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon sweet mustard
Directions:
Mix together the horseradish, lemon juice and salt in a medium sized glass bowl. Stir in catsup, hot sauce and mustard. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve, or overnight.
Follow our step-by-step instructions below.
Here is our board with all the ingredients to make the best cocktail sauce ever.
We start with four tablespoons of prepared horseradish.
Next, we need a large lemon, cut in half.
Juice both halves of the lemon. Make sure you get every drop out of the lemon. If you are using large, organic lemons, then one lemon should give you four tablespoons of juice. If you are using the small, bagged lemons, you will need at least two lemons and possibly three to make four tablespoons of lemon juice.
This lemon gave me just exactly four tablespoons of juice. I will also suggest you use regular lemons and not Meyer lemons for this recipe.
Add the lemon juice to the prepared horseradish.
Add one-half teaspoon of coarse salt.
Use a small spatula to fully incorporate these first three ingredients.
Now we are going to add the ketchup. I used French's without high fructose corn syrup, which, quite honestly, I cannot tell any difference from ketchup with high fructose corn syrup. Use whichever you like.
In with one and a half cups of ketchup altogether. I measured it out in quarter cup measurements. It was easier for me to handle that way.
Here we have added our full measure of ketchup to the horseradish and lemon and salt mixture.
Next up, a half teaspoon of hot sauce. I suppose you could leave this out, ... but don't. It doesn't add that much heat to the mix but it does add some nice boldness.
Now it's time for a little sweet hot mustard. I used this from Hickory Farms, which added a nice zing.
Just one-half teaspoon is all you need.
Then give the mixture a thorough mix using a large handheld whisk. And there you have the most delicious cocktail sauce in the world.
To store, transfer to a glass bowl. Storing in glass is the preferred way of keeping this cocktail sauce. In plastic it may take on an odd taste and the plastic will likely take on the scent of cocktail sauce which might not be easily washed away.
This little square glass dish with matching top is the perfect size for storage.
Into the refrigerator until party time. If it sits overnight in the refrigerator, all the better. It will be even more robust for the party. Of course, you don't need to have a party to make delicious cocktail sauce. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you a use for it during the week that I think you will enjoy.
