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Cooked shrimp platter with cocktail sauce and other dipping sauces
Family Recipe HQ

Homemade Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp

A tangy ketchup-and-horseradish dipping sauce with adjustable heat. Makes about 1¼ cups, or approximately ten 2-tablespoon portions. Ready in 5 minutes; an optional 30-minute chill gives you time to prepare the platter.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 10 2-tablespoon portions, approximately
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2–4 tablespoons prepared horseradish Start with 2 tablespoons; not creamy horseradish sauce.
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Check the label for anchovies and other allergens.
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2–1 teaspoon hot sauce Optional; omit for the mildest batch.

Equipment

  • 1 Small mixing bowl
  • 1 whisk or spoon
  • 1 Measuring cups and spoons
  • 1 covered refrigerator container

Method
 

  1. Mix the base. Whisk the ketchup, 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper in a small bowl until evenly combined.
  2. Set the heat. For a mild batch, omit hot sauce. Otherwise add ½ teaspoon. Taste with a clean spoon or a piece of fully cooked shrimp. Increase the horseradish 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 4 tablespoons total if desired.
  3. Chill if convenient. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes if time allows. This rest is optional and adds 30 minutes to the listed total. Keep the sauce cold until serving.
  4. Stir and portion. Stir again, taste, and adjust only one ingredient at a time. Spoon a small amount into a serving bowl, keeping the unused batch refrigerated. Use a clean spoon to refill a clean serving bowl.

Notes

Heat is variable: Jar strength and hot-sauce brands differ. For medium heat, try 3 tablespoons horseradish and ½ teaspoon hot sauce; for hotter sauce, try 4 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon. These are starting points.
Make a half batch: Use ½ cup ketchup, 1–2 tablespoons horseradish, 1½ teaspoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire, ⅛ teaspoon pepper and optional ¼–½ teaspoon hot sauce. Yield is about ⅝ cup.
Make ahead: Refrigerate the clean, unused sauce in an airtight container at 40°F or below and use within 3 days as a conservative household guideline. Follow any shorter ingredient-label limit. Discard sauce used for dipping.
Serving: Keep the seafood and sauce cold, for example over ice. Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Do not return used dipping sauce to the stored batch.
Allergens: Traditional Worcestershire often contains fish. Use an appropriate labeled alternative when needed; shrimp served alongside is shellfish.