Cocktail sauce is a combination of ketchup, lemon and prepared horseradish mixed evenly together. It is a red coloured sauce of thick consistency often very spicy in taste due to the presence of horseradish. It is a combination of sweet and sour, which is provided by the tomato ketchup and lemon juices. Often other ingredients are also integrated along with the traditional ingredients to vary the flavour of the sauce. Cocktail sauce is used as a dipping sauce for many food items like French fries, cheese cubes and even baked cauliflowers. It is a nutritional sauce, which stimulates the metabolism of the body.
Ingrdients and Method of Preparing Cocktail Sauces
Preparing Cocktail sauce is considered to be quite easy and fast. The prime ingredients in the dish include tomato ketchup, horseradish, Worchester shire sauce and lemon juice. The first step in the procedure of making the sauce is the mixing of ketchup, Worchester shire sauce, horseradish and lemon juice in a bowl. The ingredients are stirred well and in case of a spicy sauce requirement, more of horseradish is added. When a mild Cocktail sauce is required, lesser amount of horseradish is made use of. The prepared sauce is lidded and chilled for sometime in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions as per Cocktail Sauce Recipe
The chilled sauce is best garnished with slices of lemon and fresh parsley springs. Chilling the sauce is good as the taste improves with time in cold temperatures. Cocktail sauce is usually coupled with boiled shrimp and seafoods on the half shell. It is served along with chips and fish in a soufflé cup. It also goes well with oysters, where the oysters are served with the sauce in the centre and lemon slices all around the plate. Cubes of mozzarella cheese are dressed with Cocktail sauce and they taste delicious this way. Baked cauliflower and French fries best compliment the sauce and the sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for other food items as well.
Variations in Cocktail Sauce Recipe
The wide variety of variants can be prepared by simple addition of extra ingredients in the traditional Cocktail sauce. The ingredients vary from place to place according to people’s preferences. In Australia, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium and Ireland, tomato ketchup is usually mixed with mayonnaise. A punch of whisky is also added to the sauce in Belgium. Sour cream is an essential ingredient in the Cocktail sauce prepared in Iceland. In many places, tomato ketchup is replaced by using chilli sauce. The texture will also vary for different varieties of the sauce from fine creamy texture to course texture.
Some Health Facts Related to Cocktail Sauce Recipe
This tangy and spicy Cocktail sauce is a healthy option over normal tomato ketchup as the latter is just an intake of empty calories. The presence of horseradish makes the dish nutritional in the sense that it activates the mechanism of the body and aids in proper functioning of the body. Also, the Cocktail sauce is rich in sodium content and has a high amount of sugar and acid content. Moreover, the horseradish clears the nasal passage and frees one from heavy nasal congestion.
