Easy Green Cocktail Sauce

While shrimp cocktail with red cocktail sauce is undeniably delicious, there’s something special about this verdant version that pays homage to the classic while taking it in a fresher direction. In place of the ketchup or chili sauce used to make standard red cocktail sauce, this version uses salsa verde. The salsa’s sharp, acidic, and slightly sweet flavor makes a surprisingly successful swap-in. While you can certainly make your own, using a jar of store-bought green salsa works just fine. The salsa gets amped up with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and green hot sauce to embolden its color and add a bright, herby flavor. To reinforce the retro cocktail sauce flavor, a generous amount of prepared horseradish is added to lend a characteristic back-of-the-throat heat. Blending it with fresh avocado ties the sauce together and gives it a luscious texture that perfectly coats shrimp. Serve it next to classic cocktail sauce and poached shrimp for an instant party.

While this sauce is ideal for dunking shrimp into, you can also serve it as a dipping sauce for crudités or chips. Its citrusy herbaceousness is good for brightening up any spread, while its sharp horseradish bite adds a touch of excitement.