I found some large, cooked shrimp on sale at the grocery store the other day and decided to make some shrimp cocktails as appetizers. I have the bad habit of buying prepared cocktail sauce in a bottle and only using half of it, so the rest usually is out of date by the time I’m ready to use it again. To keep from wasting any cocktail sauce, I decided to make my own, since all of the ingredients needed are staples in my kitchen, except for fresh horseradish.

The great thing about this sauce, in addition to it being so fresh, is that you control the spiciness and tanginess with the amount of horseradish and lemon juice you use. Plus, you make only what you need. It’s so simple, but oh so good!

Ingredients (Makes enough for 2 shrimp cocktails)

• 3 tablespoons fresh horseradish (or to taste, the more, the spicier!)
• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• Hot sauce to taste

Preparation

Peel the horseradish and grate it with a microplane.

Mix all of the ingredients well. Refrigerate until chilled.

For the shrimp cocktails, I divided the sauce between two martini glasses, then arranged the shrimp around the rims of each glass, garnishing with lemons and fresh parsley.

Normally I buy the shrimp raw and either steam or boil it with some Old Bay Seasoning, but this precooked shrimp worked well and saved time. What an easy and elegant appetizer!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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