Cocktail sauce
Encyclopedia
Cocktail sauce is one of several types of cold or room temperature
sauces often served as part of the dish(es) referred to as seafood cocktail or as a condiment
with other seafood
s. In America
it generally consists of ketchup
mixed with prepared horseradish
. Some restaurants use chili sauce, a spicier tomato based sauce in place of the ketchup. The common form of cocktail sauce in Australia
, the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, Iceland
, France
and Belgium
, usually consists of mayonnaise
mixed with a tomato
sauce, producing a result that could be compared to fry sauce
. Furthermore, in Belgium, a dash of whisky
is often added to the sauce, and in Iceland, sour cream
is considered essential. It is popularly served with steamed shrimp
and seafood on the half shell
. In Australia, it is often provided in fish and chip
shops.
s, cocktail sauce is the standard accompaniment for raw oysters and patrons at an oyster bar expect to be able to mix their own. The standard ingredients (in roughly decreasing proportion) are ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce (Tabasco
, Louisiana
, or Crystal
), Worcestershire sauce
, and lemon juice
. A soufflé cup is usually set in the middle of the platter of oysters along with a cocktail fork and a lemon
slice. Often, the bottles of ketchup and other sauces are grouped together in stations every couple of feet along the counter, but in some oyster bars, patrons are served with their own ingredients.
Room temperature
-Comfort levels:The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers has listings for suggested temperatures and air flow rates in different types of buildings and different environmental circumstances. For example, a single office in a building has an occupancy ratio per...
sauces often served as part of the dish(es) referred to as seafood cocktail or as a condiment
Condiment
A condiment is an edible substance, such as sauce or seasoning, added to food to impart a particular flavor, enhance its flavor, or in some cultures, to complement the dish. Many condiments are available packaged in single-serving sachets , like mustard or ketchup, particularly when supplied with...
with other seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
s. In America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
it generally consists of ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
mixed with prepared horseradish
Horseradish
Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to south eastern Europe and the Arab World , but is popular around the world today...
. Some restaurants use chili sauce, a spicier tomato based sauce in place of the ketchup. The common form of cocktail sauce in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, usually consists of mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
mixed with a tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
sauce, producing a result that could be compared to fry sauce
Fry sauce
Fry sauce is a regional condiment served with French fries. It is usually a simple combination of one part ketchup and two parts mayonnaise. When spices and other flavorings are added, it is similar to—but thicker and smoother than—traditional Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing...
. Furthermore, in Belgium, a dash of whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
is often added to the sauce, and in Iceland, sour cream
Sour cream
Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream. Its name stems from the production of lactic acid by bacterial...
is considered essential. It is popularly served with steamed shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
and seafood on the half shell
Raw bar
A raw bar is a small restaurant or a bar within a restaurant where live raw shellfish are shucked and served. These restaurants are traditionally popular in coastal resort areas, and increasingly with the advent of fast shipment of seafood, in major cities away from the coast.Raw bars serve a...
. In Australia, it is often provided in fish and chip
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
shops.
In oyster bars
In most American oyster barOyster bar
The term oyster bar describes either an amenity within a restaurant or bar, or a category of restaurant that specializes in serving fresh oysters. The oysters are shucked on site and normally behind a counter, within sight of the customers....
s, cocktail sauce is the standard accompaniment for raw oysters and patrons at an oyster bar expect to be able to mix their own. The standard ingredients (in roughly decreasing proportion) are ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce (Tabasco
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...
, Louisiana
Louisiana Hot Sauce
Louisiana "The Original" Hot Sauce has been mass produced by Bruce Foods Corporation for over 80 years. As a cayenne pepper based hot sauce, it is similar to other mass produced brands such as Crystal Hot Sauce, Texas Pete and Frank's Red Hot. It is usually packaged in 6 oz. shaker bottles, and...
, or Crystal
Crystal Hot Sauce
Crystal Hot Sauce is a mass produced brand of Louisiana-style hot sauce produced by family-owned Baumer Foods since 1923. of Crystal Hot Sauce are shipped per year to 75 countries.The sauce is reddish orange with a medium heat and a milder flavor than Tabasco sauce.Crystal was famous for its...
), Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Worcestershire sauce , or Worcester sauce is a fermented liquid condiment; primarily used to flavour meat or fish dishes.First made at 60 Broad Street, Worcester, England, by two dispensing chemists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, the Lea & Perrins brand was commercialised in 1837 and...
, and lemon juice
Lemon juice
The lemon fruit, from a citrus plant, provides a useful liquid when squeezed. Lemon juice, either in natural strength or concentrated, is sold as a bottled product, usually with the addition of preservatives and a small amount of lemon oil.-Uses:...
. A soufflé cup is usually set in the middle of the platter of oysters along with a cocktail fork and a lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
slice. Often, the bottles of ketchup and other sauces are grouped together in stations every couple of feet along the counter, but in some oyster bars, patrons are served with their own ingredients.