Written by Kendall Gensler Thursday, 29 October 2009 08:42
Get the Delicious Dish
Although people have been combining fish and shellfish with spicy sauces since ancient times, the "shrimp cocktail," as we Americans know it today, belongs to the early 20th century. A survey of American cookbooks confirms the combination of shellfish and a spicy tomato-based sauce (usually ketchup spiced with horseradish, tabasco, and cayenne) served in tiny cups as appetizers was extremely popular in the early part of the 20th century. Shrimp variations were popular in Cajun/Creole cooking before they begin to show up in "mainstream" cookbooks. Once again, New Orleans was at the culinary forefront with the first variation-- Chevrettes a la Sauce Tomate- published in the Picayune's Creole Cook Book in 1909. New York followed suit during the peak of its popularity with published recipes in Mrs. Allen on Cooking, Menus, Service in 1924 and the New York Times in 1926.
These "cocktail" appetizers (shrimp cocktail, fruit cocktail) were extremely popular during the 1920s, the decade of Prohibition. These appetizers were created to be served in "cocktail glasses" originally meant to hold alcoholic beverages. It was a creative way to use the idle glassware!
Close to a century later, Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House serves a racy retro version (one of the few in town) with large Louisiana shrimp rimming a rocks glass. Rock on!
Cocktail Sauce - Compliments of Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House
4 C Chili Sauce
.5 C Celery
2 T Parsley
1 T Powdered Sugar
1 T Tabasco
.25 C Worcestershire Sauce
.25 C Horseradish
Method:
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until the celery is pureed.

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| Kendall Gensler |
Kendall Collins Gensler is a seasoned culinary professional, who received a diplome from the famous Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School and attended Johnson and Wales University for continuing culinary education. Gensler is a native New Orleanian, who has worked many facets of the culinary industry over the past twenty years-- in both the local and national markets to include the fast paced food cities of New York, San Francisco and Houston.As an ambassador of the “culinary current”, Gensler founded Culinary Concierge Magazine in the Spring of 2000 as a platform for local food journalists to share bits of history, ingredients, recipes, people and pleasures that culminate to create the cuisine and the dining experience in an ever-evolving culinary city. ![]() |