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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Homemade Cocktail Sauce – Restaurant Quality

    Published: Sep 22, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley

    146 shares
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    5 from 31 votes
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    Making delicious tangy cocktail sauce that will rival (or be better than) your favorite seafood restaurant is easier to make than you think. It only takes 5 minutes to make and with my chef’s secret ingredient you’ll never be satisfied with the seafood sauce that is served in many restaurants.

    homemade cocktail sauce in a glass bowl with a spoon

    Don’t be fooled by recipes that tell you, you only need 3 or 4 ingredients because they’re leaving out the most important ingredient!

    overhead view of shrimp cocktail and cocktail sauce on an iced plate with a lemon wedge

    I love seafood and most days cocktail sauce is my preferred condiment for seafood, especially when it’s served with shrimp cocktail.

    fried shrimp platter with cocktail sauce and tarter sauce

    It’s also my favorite seafood sauce for Fried Shrimp. I guarantee that after one taste you’ll agree it’s the Best Cocktail Sauce you’ll ever make.

    Ingredients to make Restaurant Quality Cocktail Sauce

    ingredients to make recipe

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make homemade cocktail sauce. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

    Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    There are only 5 simple ingredients needed to make this classic seafood sauce.

    • ketchup (preferably Heinz)
    • Heinz Chili Sauce (Secret Ingredient)
    • Worchestershire sauce
    • lemon juice
    • prepared horseradish

    Heinz chili sauce is the only chili sauce you can use to make this amazing seafood sauce. Trust me on this one, there are no substitutes. I don’t include hot sauce in my recipe as it’s not really necessary, but feel free to add some if you really like heat in your food.

    This really is a simple sauce and other ingredients aren’t going to help it, no other seasonings like garlic, onion, or black pepper are needed. And whatever you do, don’t try and make this sauce from tomato paste!

    Can I make cocktail sauce without Heinz chili sauce?

    You sure can. It won’t be an epic seafood cocktail sauce, but it will still be pretty darn good!

    How to make Restaurant Quality Cocktail Sauce

    ketchup and chili sauce in a glass bowl with spoon.

    The first step is to add the chili sauce and ketchup into a small mixing bowl.

    horseradish added to the bowl of ketchup an chili sauce

    Add the horseradish to the sauce. The horseradish is what makes it a spicy cocktail sauce. Remember you can always add more if you want the sauce spicier.

    If you accidentally put too much horseradish in or it turns out to be too spicy for you, just add a little more ketchup to the mixture and make it your own cocktail sauce, suited to your tastes.

    horseradish mixed into the chili sauce ketchup mixture

    Mix the prepared horseradish with ketchup and chili sauce.

    Worcestershire and lemon juice added to the mixture

    Add the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce to the mixture and blend together.

    homemade cocktail sauce in a glass bowl with a spoon

    You’ve just created a Classic Cocktail Sauce, used for generations by premier seafood restaurants in the United States. This sauce goes well with all my favorite seafood and I know it will with your favorites too!

    Let the cocktail sauce sit for a few hours before using. This allows the flavor profile to become more intense. Kept in an air tight container this sauce can be kept refrigerated for 6 months, although I wouldn’t recommend keeping it longer than 2 months.

    Recipe FAQ’s

    Can I make this seafood sauce without Heinz chili sauce?

    Yes you can. It won’t be the epic sauce that it could be, but it will still be a delicious homemade cocktail sauce.

    Can I use another brand of chili sauce?

    Well technically you can, but don’t expect it to taste as good. Heinz chili sauce is the real deal. You’re better to leave out the chili sauce if you can’t find Heinz.

    More Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Shrimp Cocktail Recipe {Restaurant-Style}
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    • Classic Restaurant Style Fried Shrimp

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    glass bowl of cocktail sauce
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    5 from 31 votes

    Homemade Cocktail Sauce – Restaurant Quality

    Making delicious tangy cocktail sauce that will rival (or be better than) your favorite seafood restaurant is easier to make than you think. It only takes 5 minutes to make and with my chef's secret ingredient you'll never be satisfied with the seafood sauce that is served in many restaurants.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time0 mins
    Total Time5 mins
    Course: condiment, Sauce
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 33kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup ketchup
    • ½ cup Heinz chili sauce
    • 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
    • 3 tsp prepared horseradish more or less depending upon how spicy you like cocktail sauce.
    • 2 tsp lemon juice
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Mix the ketchup, chili sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.
    • Depending upon how spicy you like cocktail sauce adjust the amount of horseradish. Remember you can always add more.
    • Chill until needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 33kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 392mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 194IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Patricia Sgro

      September 24, 2022 at 9:26 am

      Chef Dennis : I am an old time Italian mother, nonna and bisnonna. I have been cooking for many years but must confess mostly Italian dishes are mainly my forte. The family has me on a pedestle for my cooking but they haven’t had your cooking. I now cook only for myself daily which is a challenge, or if the family gets together. I love the way you feature your recipes with instructions that are so simple to follow. I have tried many and they turned out fantastic. I am so happy I ran into you, I look forward to your newsletter and new food challenges. Thanks and keep them coming.

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        September 24, 2022 at 9:52 am

        Thank you so much for your comment Patricia, you really made my day!

        Reply

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