The Greatest Cocktail Sauce Recipe
Restaurant Quality. Home Kitchen.
Fresh. Bold. Unbeatable.
Cocktail sauce should taste like tomato, horseradish, citrus and heat—not sugar and preservatives.
Bright, bold and unapologetically fresh, GOAT Cocktail Sauce delivers the proper balance of Heinz ketchup, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Crystal Hot Sauce and fresh lime.
No fillers. No powders. No unnecessary ingredients. Serve it ice-cold with shrimp cocktail, Florida stone crab, oysters, lobster, snow crab clusters, clams or GOAT Cracked Conch.
Yield: Approximately 1½ cups
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Servings: Approximately 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: At least 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Heinz ketchup
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Crystal Hot Sauce, to taste
- Juice of ½ fresh lime
- Zest of ½ fresh lime
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk or mixing spoon
- Microplane or fine citrus zester
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Rubber spatula
- Airtight glass storage container
Instructions
- Add the Heinz ketchup, prepared horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and Crystal Hot Sauce to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the freshly squeezed lime juice and fresh lime zest.
- Season with freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
- Stir thoroughly until the horseradish, lime zest and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the balance. Add additional horseradish for more bite, Crystal Hot Sauce for more heat or fresh lime juice for more acidity.
- Transfer the cocktail sauce to a clean airtight container.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors can marry and the sauce can become properly chilled.
- Stir thoroughly and taste again immediately before serving.
Chef Tips
- Use Heinz ketchup. It provides the benchmark tomato flavor, sweetness, acidity and body required for a properly balanced cocktail sauce.
- Use prepared horseradish—not creamy horseradish sauce. Prepared horseradish supplies the clean, sharp bite cocktail sauce requires.
- Use fresh lime. The zest provides citrus aroma while the juice adds acidity and brightness.
- Do not eliminate the hot sauce. Even a small amount of Crystal Hot Sauce gives the sauce depth without making it aggressively spicy.
- Chill before serving. The sauce becomes more cohesive and balanced after resting in the refrigerator.
- Taste it with seafood. Cocktail sauce should taste slightly bold on its own because chilled seafood will soften its intensity.
- Serve it ice-cold. Keep the sauce refrigerated until immediately before serving.
Perfect With
- Shrimp cocktail
- Florida stone crab
- Fresh oysters
- Florida lobster
- Snow crab clusters
- Chilled clams
- GOAT Cracked Conch
- Fried shrimp
- Crab cakes
Make-Ahead and Storage
GOAT Cocktail Sauce may be prepared up to three days before serving. The flavor improves after the ingredients have had time to rest together.
Store the sauce in a clean airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Stir thoroughly and taste for seasoning before each use. Do not freeze cocktail sauce because freezing can damage its texture and fresh citrus flavor.
Yield & Nutrition
Yield: Approximately 1½ cups
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Approximate nutrition per serving:
- Calories: 35
- Total Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 210mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 8g
- Dietary Fiber: 0g
- Total Sugars: 6g
- Added Sugars: Approximately 5g
- Protein: 0g
GOAT Rule
A great cocktail sauce should taste like fresh tomato, horseradish, Worcestershire, citrus and heat.
Related Recipes
- GOAT Cracked Conch
- GOAT Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
- GOAT Stone Crab Cakes
- GOAT Wicked Tartar Sauce
- GOAT Stone Crab Salad
Nutrition disclaimer: Nutritional information is provided only as an estimate and may vary based on the specific ingredient brands, quantities, serving sizes, preparation methods and substitutions used. The GOAT Chef does not guarantee the accuracy of nutritional calculations.
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