Marie Rose Sauce

Marie Rose Sauce is decidedly British and in the U.K., you can even buy it pre-made in glass jars. Traditionally, it is served with a prawn cocktail in much the same way we in the U.S. serve cocktail sauce with a shrimp cocktail.  Our sauce is basically a 3:1 ratio of ketchup to prepared horseradish with a bit of lemon juice.  Food historians don't agree on the origination of this sauce, although it is generally thought to have come from the California mining days in the mid-nineteenth century.  Others place it much later in the 1950s from a hotel in Las Vegas.

Regardless of its origination, order a shrimp cocktail anywhere in the U.S., and you'll get the traditional red cocktail sauce.  In the U.K, they favor prawn cocktails served with Marie Rose sauce and once you've tried it, you'll understand why.

Incidentally, prawns and shrimp are not really the same thing. They are different crustaceans within the Decapoda order, but in the culinary world, the terms are used interchangeably which indicates to me that they probably have a similar taste and texture.

This sauce isn't just for shrimp, by the way.  It would be great on broiled salmon or a hamburger.

Ingredients
1-1/3 cup mayonnaise (like, Kraft)
4 tbsp ketchup (like, Heinz)
2 dash Tabasco Sauce
2 dash Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp brandy
1 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of salt

The Recipe
Mix all the ingredients except the lemon juice and brandy in a mixing bowl and whisk together until you have a homogeneous, silky pink sauce. Add the lemon juice and brandy, and whisk again thoroughly to combine. Allow to sit covered and refrigerated for at least two hours before serving, but longer is better.