Craig’s Cocktail Sauce
I’ve spent quite a bit of time developing a cocktail sauce that floats my boat… whether it be a shrimp boat, crab boat, clam boat or any other type of boat you can name. I was looking for a balance of flavor with a good amount of spiciness that can be used on all types of seafood. This is my go-to cocktail sauce that nicely complements many types of shellfish: shrimp, clams on the half shell, “Craig Cakes” (crab cakes) while not overpowering the flavor of the seafood. It’s even terrific on sliced semolina bread and when used in cocktails. Oh. Yeah. You’ll get to meat “Cocktail Mary” in the near future. Stay tuned.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (FGBP)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or finely crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Whisk all the liquid ingredients together and set aside, starting with only one tablespoon of the horseradish sauce.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients and taste to see if it is to your liking. Add additional horseradish sauce until you can no longer distinctly taste the sharpness of the ketchup and to meet your expectations of flavor balance and “heat.” You can also add more hot pepper if you would like it to be spicier. Refrigerate for at least one hour or until ready to use.
- Spoon the desired amount of cocktail sauce onto your seafood or off to the side when using. Leftover cocktail sauce can be frozen for up to a month.
Notes
Suggested uses: Serve as an accompaniment to various types of seafood such as shellfish and crab cakes and even on sliced semolina bread.
Suggested wine pairings: This will be dependent upon your main course and how the cocktail sauce will work with both.
