Tartar Sauce and Cocktail Sauce Recipes

I've got a big fat craving for it, and since I'm picking up several pounds of colossal (10-15/lb) fresh shrimp tomorrow, I'm thinking of whipping up a couple of sauces to have on hand. I'm going to boil them up as soon as I get them home, have them cold on hand for the weekend.

So, I'm curious how others interpret these two old traditional sauces.

My cocktail sauce is just ketchup and horseradish and lemon juice and Worcestshire sauce and lots of black pepper.

My tartar sauce is mayonnaise, dill pickle relish, minced green onion, parsley, minced capers, pickle juice, and a bit of black pepper.

They're really good, but I've been making them the same way for years, so I'm just curious what variations the best-fed people on DU might have.......................

tartar sauce. I make the tartar sauce with mayo, lots of finely minced dill, minced red onion, lemon juice, minced capers & maybe a smidgen of dill pickle juice plus a pinch of salt & pepper. Something is missing & I'm damned if I can figure it out.

some of them are pretty awful, but one included a smidgen of horseradish.

I wonder if that's good. I might try it, in a small batch.

You BUY cocktail sauce? My Mom would brain you - cocktail sauce was the first thing I ever learned to put together in a kitchen, Friday dinners - no meat for Roman Catholics on Friday back then - and shrimp cocktail was always on the menu - so I'm an expert, and the idea of BUYING it just seems so, oh, you know, HEATHEN!!!!

Pickles give it extra dill flavor, tartness and some crunch. It's just not tartar sauce without some minced pickle. IMO, it's as essential as capers.

Emeril serves shrimp with two remoulades:

White Remoulade Sauce:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly to blend. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. (It will keep for up to 2 days.)

Red Remoulade Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped yellow onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (green part only)
1 tablespoon Creole mustard, or other hot, whole-grain mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly to blend. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed. (It will keep for up to 2 days.)

Too much work in this hot weather, though. I got the shrimp boiled early this morning, and they're chilled now, ready for tomorrow.

I will probably end up with the traditional cocktail sauce, the easiest of the bunch, and a separate dip of Thai hot-and-sweet dipping sauce - that stuff is good with EVERYTHING!

Thank you...............

ACK!!!!

sacrilege I say! it's the cream of tartar that gives it the proper kick!

and try some of your green asian horseradish in the cocktail sauce. heaven!

Where have YOU been? I was just starting to worry. It's been, like, DECADES since you were around.

How are you?

Wasabi in the cocktail sauce? On top of regular horseradish? I'm tossing a few hits of Sriracha, as well as a smidgen of my friend's special blend, Duck, which is made from smoked paprika and all kinks of hot peppers.

Cream of tartar. Right.......................

My tartar sauce, which I almost never make, is simple cuz I don't wanna even be bothered with it. It is just mayo and relish.

but I also add Old Bay to taste.