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Cocktail Sauce

(Also Stop Buying This)

This is the second entry in the "why are you paying money for this" series, following Simple Syrup. Cocktail sauce is ketchup and horseradish. That's it. That's the recipe. The jarred stuff at the store is the same two ingredients except it's been sitting on a shelf for six months and the horseradish has given up on life. Homemade takes five minutes, hits harder, and you probably already have everything you need. Stop giving money to Big Cocktail Sauce.

Prep: 5 min Cook: LOL no Makes: About 1 cup Difficulty: If you can stir, you can do this

Ingredients

That's the list. Four things. One of them is ketchup. You can do this.

Instructions

  1. Put everything in a bowl.
  2. Mix it together.
  3. Taste it. Want more kick? Add more horseradish. Too spicy? Add more ketchup. Want more heat? More sriracha. This is the beauty of making it yourself—you control the ratio. The jarred stuff doesn't give you that option. The jarred stuff doesn't care about your preferences.
  4. That's it. There is no step four. It's cocktail sauce. You just made cocktail sauce. Use it for shrimp, crab dip, fish sticks, whatever you want. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

  • On the horseradish: The equal parts ratio is a starting point. If you like it mild, go heavier on the ketchup. If you want it to clear your sinuses, go heavier on the horseradish. Nobody's going to arrest you for changing the ratio.
  • Fresh horseradish: If you happen to have fresh horseradish root and a food processor, you're a different breed and I respect you. Grate it yourself and this sauce goes from great to transcendent. But the jarred stuff works perfectly fine.

Stuff You'll Need

A bowl. A spoon. The revelation that you've been overpaying for condiments your entire life.