cocktail sauce
4
2.0
- noun
- /ˈkɒk.teɪl sɔːs/
- US
:
salsa cóctel
- Ever go to an oyster bar and have them raw on the half shell with some cocktail sauce?
- shrimp with cocktail sauce
- ketchup-based cocktail sauce
- horseradish cocktail sauce
Examples
-
Sometimes he sneaks me a crab cocktail at the end of the night because he knows I love it: the tender jumbo lump crabmeat lightly dressed with lemon and parsley, a bit of cocktail sauce on the side.
Academic text (2007) -
The recipe calls for mixing the cocktail sauce with a hint of lemon for added zest.
-
Excuse me, do you know where can I find cocktail sauce?
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The shrimp then hit the pot for a couple of minutes and were served with a side of cocktail sauce.
Blog text (9) -
Then you take the cocktail sauce and mix it in with the horseradish.
-
Both seemed rather fresh, and the cocktail sauce complemented them nicely.
Blog text (11) -
He sold bluefish pâté, cocktail sauce, lemons, asparagus, and, because it was summer, fresh corn on the cob.
Fiction book (1998) -
Before serving, drizzle some cocktail sauce over the shrimp to enhance its flavor.
-
Many people like to dip their crab cakes in cocktail sauce for a spicy kick.
Synonyms
A tangy sauce to eat with seafood like shrimp and oysters
How Spicy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward composition: 'cocktail' (in culinary use, e.g. shrimp cocktail) + 'sauce' denotes a sauce served with a cocktail/appetizer. A B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the specific condiment served with seafood appetizers even if they don't know the exact ingredients.
Etymology
Cocktail sauce may come from the old appetizer 'shrimp cocktail', where cooked shrimp were served with a small, spicy sauce to dip them in. That's why today cocktail sauce means a spicy sauce often served with seafood.