I’m not given to superlatives. I think I’ve used “best” or “easiest” only four times here. This is both. If you have two minutes and five ingredients, you have the best seafood cocktail sauce I’ve ever tried. It’s one of those recipes everyone asks for. It might be the perfect cocktail sauce.
I’ve made it for about 10 years and my notation for the source is J&J, so it’s one of the joint projects with Julia and Jacques. I believe the recipe is his. There’s no comparison with bottled sauce; it’s fresher, cleaner, as zingy as you wish. I was able to make it this time with ketchup free of any corn syrup, so this batch was extra-pure.
In addition to serving it with shrimp, I like this as a condiment on one of my favorite sandwiches: rare roast beef, gouda and arugula on rye. It’s also good with turkey on whole wheat when I’m using up the Thanksgiving bird.
But its main attraction remains with shrimp or clams. When I have a pound of shrimp in the freezer and these few ingredients on hand, I’m ready for any spur-of-the-moment entertaining.
Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp or Clams
Probably adapted from Jacques
1/2 cup (8 TB) ketchup, corn-free if possible
2 TB horseradish, or to taste
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 TB freshly-squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Taste. Adjust horseradish, Tabasco and/or lemon juice.
Yield: Enough for 2 dozen shrimp or 3 dozen clams.
Refrigerate leftovers, tightly covered, for a few weeks.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
That does sound good. And I do have horseradish from Passover! and shrimp! How Kosher is that! Thanks!
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Ha, join the club! I actually wrote, “If you have horseradish left…” and Mr. Knife Skills said, “How many people do you plan to piss off now?” Everybody needs an editor.
It is wonderful. No kidding.
Really! It is also my experience of you that you are not given to superlatives, so this must be something, if it’s better than bottled. How can that be, though, as all but one of the ingredients are, actually, bottled themselves
I have horseradish all year long. I like it on potatoes.
MusEditions’s last blog post..My brain is getting fuzzy!
Ooh, I’ve had it in mashpots but never on potatoes. Must try it, Muse.
All but one?? You don’t use fresh horseradish?
Ella, I’m trying it tomorrow with my low-carb Heinz ketchup. Yeah yeah I know, it won’t be AS good as the real deal, but my butt will thank me for trying to keep it fitting into my jeans
Sounds yummy!
Hi, Sunny! I think low-carb ketchup’s a great idea. Let me know how you like it.
I spoiled myself by making it with KFP ketchup this time. The market had 3 bottles left in the after-Passover markdowns so I got them and will be parsimonious with them. I have to try your low-carb; I’ve never noticed it.
Honestly, I didn’t know there was such a thing. I thought horseradish was made out of…something.
I looked it up. It’s a wasabi cousin! Next, you’re going to try to tell me ketchup doesn’t come from ketchup plants! 
MusEditions’s last blog post..My brain is getting fuzzy!
Awww, don’t blush, Muse. You’re not alone on thinking that. I think most people buy it in a bottle. I certainly do, 99% of the time. And I had no idea it’s related to wasabi, although it makes sense now that you mention it.
Of course ketchup comes from ketchup plants!!
Oh you haven’t lived until you’ve tried fresh horseradish, which is a root vegetable (I GUESS it’s a vegetable) and grating it yourself. It’s white (the red horseradish you see in the jar contains grated beets). You should really wear goggles and a face mask because that is like cutting up chili peppers, or maybe worse! Oy is that strong! Way too strong for my tender palate but some people swear by it. Just remember, goggles and a face mask lol
You’re soooo right, Sunny! That might be why I used horseradish root only once or twice. It was a long time ago and since then, I have great appreciation for Gold’s.
Speaking of red horseradish, when I looked up the wasabi connection Muse mentioned, I learned green-tinted horseradish is sold in Japan as “Western wasabi” — and way less expensive than wasabi. Who knew? The fun things I learn and the great people I meet by blogging!
Your definition of “from scratch” and mine are clearly two different things. This recipe calls for prepared catsup, prepared (presumably) horseradish, and prepared tobasco sauce. The only thing that constitutes “from scratch” in this recipe is the lemon juice.
I was looking for recipe that would provide the basic ingredients of ALL of the above. Disappointing.
Andy - What you describe is not the way the majority interpret the term”from scratch”, nor is it the way most people live, either by choice or because of time constraints.
But ketchup is simple to make, horseradish was mentioned here in comments and Tabasco is a proprietary formula. Sites specializing in back-to-nature lifestyles or frugality might have those recipes. (Most ketchup recipes begin with canned tomato sauce, so do stock up on tomatoes so you can make the sauce.)