Most of us know the secret to amazing homemade cocktail sauce — spike some ketchup with horseradish, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and you’re good to go.
But for summer, we wanted to update this classic companion to chilled shrimp. So we looked to what was seasonal and decided to try a strawberry-based cocktail sauce. It ended up being a perfect pairing. Like the tomatoes in ketchup, strawberries offer a balance of sweet and acidic. Boost the flavor with garlic, ginger and a jalapeno and you have a whole lot of deliciousness.
Start to finish: 30 minutes, plus cooling
Servings: 6
• 1 quart strawberries, hulled
and halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch chunk fresh ginger,
thinly sliced
• 1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper,
halved (remove seeds, if
desired)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black
pepper
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pound cooked shrimp, shells removed, chilled
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the strawberries, garlic, ginger, jalapeno (more or less, depending on your heat tolerance), salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until well chilled.
When the cocktail sauce is chilled, divide it between individual serving bowls or glasses and accompany with shrimp.
Nutrition information per serving: 120 calories; 15 calories from fat (13 percent of total calories); 1.5 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 115 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 16 g protein; 270 mg sodium.