Table of Contents

Introduction

Some recipes take you back in time and place instantly. The Hoffman House Cocktail Sauce Recipe is one of the treasures to me. When you dip your well-chilled shrimp into this horseradish-filled, bold, tangy sauce, you know it is not just about taste; it is an experience.

This is not what you find in the store in the cocktail sauce; it is a little sharper, a little spicier, and unashamedly zesty.

The time when I first attempted to recreate it at home, I needed something that would help me make my night at the seafood restaurant special once again. And let me tell you–this is a recipe.

What is Hoffman House Cocktail Sauce?

The Hoffman House had been a Midwest legend, and they paired their seafood meal with their unique cocktail sauce.

In contrast to most cocktail sauces that are either excessively sweet or overly tomato-laden, the Hoffman House one is balanced with zingy horseradish, bright lemon, and a base of tomato tang.

It is not too assertive or overwhelming, and its level of spiciness is sufficient to bring out the best in seafood.

The Story of My First Taste

I was likely too young at the time I first tried Hoffman House Cocktail Sauce, so I couldn’t even appreciate what I was consuming. My father was a fan of shrimp cocktail, and he never allowed me to eat it at any other place than Hoffman’s house since it was the best.

He was right. I recollect that I would snatch shrimp off the plate just so that I could get an opportunity to dip them in that chilled sauce with a spicy flavor. Several years later, as bottles of Hoffman House became more difficult to find, I realized that I would have to make it myself.

Equipment You’ll Need

Good news: it is an easy-going recipe. You’ll only need:

Mixing bowl
Whisk or spoon
Zester (for the lemon, optional)
Measuring cups and spoons
An airtight container for chilling the sauce

Ingredients

The following will be all that you will require to prepare your own Hoffman House Cocktail Sauce Recipe:

1 cup ketchup
3–4 tbsp prepared horseradish (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce (like Tabasco)
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp lemon zest (optional)
1 tsp celery salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

Step 1

Blend the Base- Add ketchup and horseradish to a medium mixing bowl. Stir until smooth.

Step 2

Add the Layers- Whisk in Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, lemon juice, and zest.

Step 3

Add It Season It Up Sprinkle with celery salt, black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Taste and adjust.

Step 4

Chill – Refrigerate and or cover with at least 1 hour to serve. Their tastes really come to life when they are mixed.

Step 5

Serve- Spoon into a small chilled bowl and arrange it on an ice platter with shrimp, oysters, or crab legs.

Secrets to Success

Fresh Horseradish Matters –No old, stale horseradish; the spiciness is all in this dish.

Chill Time is Essential- The only thing that makes it taste like the original is letting the sauce rest in the refrigerator.

Balance the Heat – An Excess amount of horseradish may be overwhelming, but insufficient causes it to be flat. Taste as you go.

Presentation- It is served cold in the ice in a glass dish to give it that restaurant feel.

The reason this Hoffman House Cocktail Sauce Recipe is always a win.

This recipe is beautiful in ratio. The ketchup supplies this sweet-tangy base, the horseradish supplies this sinu-clearing zing, the Worcestershire supplies this savoury and depth, and the lemon maintains all fresh and bright. Not only is it good with shrimp cocktail, it is fantastic with fried fish, crab cakes, or even a fried potato as a dip if you feel like becoming unmanly.

Whenever I make this at a party, people head right to the shrimp platter, and they request the recipe. And you know it is a keeper.

Extra Ways to Use It

On Oysters –A spoonful of uncooked or burnt oysters? Game changer.

In a Bloody Mary- stir a spoonful into your Bloody Mary mix to add an instant flavor addition.

As a Spread – Mix with mayo and spread on a fish sandwich. Trust me—it works.

Final Thoughts

It is like recreating a classic to prepare the Hoffman House Cocktail Sauce Recipe at home. It is a daring, spicy, retroactive sauce that renders seafood platters.

It may be something that you have been brought up with, or you just found yourself at the time when you tried this dish, but it will impress you with its sharp and well-balanced tastes.

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