Create a delicious homemade shrimp cocktail sauce in just 5 minutes. This iconic and flavorful sauce is a seafood essential, perfect for pairing with chilled shrimp or crab. You’ll never buy store-bought cocktail sauce again.
Cocktail Sauce For Shrimp
This classic shrimp cocktail sauce recipe blends sweet ketchup, fresh lemon juice, savory Worcestershire sauce, and spicy prepared horseradish for a perfectly balanced seafood dipping sauce.
Ingredients You Need For Seafood Sauce
Here are the main ingredients you need to make a classic cocktail sauce. For the full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below:
- Ketchup – Ketchup is the foundation of a classic shrimp cocktail sauce, providing a rich tomato base that ties all the ingredients together.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must for shrimp cocktail sauce, adding a bright, zesty acidity that enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Worcestershire Sauce – A small amount of Worcestershire sauce goes a long way in adding depth and complexity to shrimp cocktail sauce. Its savory, umami-rich profile, with hints of smoky and earthy notes, enhances the overall flavor.
- Horseradish – Prepared horseradish is the ingredient that gives shrimp cocktail sauce its signature bold, spicy kick. The tangy heat from horseradish complements the ketchup’s sweetness and the lemon juice’s acidity. It’s important to use prepared horseradish rather than fresh.
Tips and Variations
- Seafood sauce is best served cold. Try making it an hour in advance so you can chill before using. But it’s technically ready in only 5 minutes.
- Spice It Up – Add a hit of Sriracha, chili sauce, hot sauce (such as Tabasco Sauce), or even gochujang (What Is Gochujang). You can also increase the amount of horseradish paste. Even a dash of black pepper will add a bit more heat.
- Sweeten It Up – Add a pinch of sugar to make a sweeter dipping sauce.
Uses
Here are a few uses for this homemade cocktail sauce recipe:
- Shrimp Cocktail – Serve with chilled and cooked shrimp and lemon wedges for a quick, healthy, fresh appetizer recipe. Or add to a Mexican Shrimp Cocktails to take it up a notch.
- Seafood Topping – Use it as a flavorful topping for Lobster Cakes, grilled fish, crab legs, lemon garlic shrimp, crab cakes, or seared scallops.
- Dip for Fried Foods – Serve in a small bowl for fried calamari, fish sticks, onion rings, or fried zucchini.
- Bloody Mary Ingredient – Add a spoonful to your Bloody Mary mix for extra depth of flavor.
- Glaze for Meatloaf – Spread it on top of a meatloaf before baking for a tangy glaze.
- Taco Sauce – Drizzle it over seafood tacos or shrimp tostadas for a spicy, citrusy boost.
- Vegetable Dip – Pair it with raw veggies like celery, carrots, or bell pepper strips as an alternative dip.
Storage
You can keep homemade shrimp sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. I don’t recommend freezing it, however, as it only takes 5 minutes to re-make, and you want top-quality.
More Dipping Sauces For Shrimp
In addition to homemade shrimp cocktail sauce, here are a few other shrimp dipping sauces to check out:
Homemade Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Servings: 0.75 cup
Calories: 151kcal
Cost: $3.00
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Ingredients
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1-2 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce
Instructions
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Add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Taste and add more horseradish, if desired.
1-2 tbsp prepared horseradish
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Chill for at least an hour, before serving, for best flavor.
3-4 dashes hot sauce
Nutrition
Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 1381mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 631IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg
