Crayfish cocktail with Marie Rose sauce, served in a glass bowl
Origins
The sauce is often credited to Fanny Cradock, who made it widely known. Variations exist internationally, and seafood cocktail sauces predate Cradock's 1967 recipe by some years. For example, in 1956, Constance Spry published a recipe for Tomato Ice, a chilled mixture of mayonnaise and sweetened tomato pulp, for use as the base of a prawn cocktail.[3]
The American cocktail sauce is a horseradish and ketchup-based sauce that is served with seafood, and dates back considerably earlier. Although this is not the same sauce as Marie Rose, it is served in the same distinctive style in a prawn or shrimp cocktail, and it has been suggested that US cocktail sauce, made milder for British tastes, was the precursor of Marie Rose sauce.[4]
The connection with the name Marie Rose is also not clear. Cradock is sometimes credited with the name, or there is an association with the British warship the Mary Rose. However, the Mary Rose Trust itself has debunked this, saying "As we still have a number of divers on our team who were around during this period, so we can ask them. Not one of them has any recollection of this happening... since the Mary Rose was in the news a lot during this period, it becomes clear that some people did the sums and came up with a nice story to justify the result."[5]
Similar sauces
Argentina
In Argentina, salsa golf is a similar sauce created in the 1920s at a golf course, hence the name.
United States
Fry sauce, similar in composition and appearance to Marie Rose sauce, served with french fries in the United States
In the United States, a similar sauce, fry sauce, is sometimes served with french fries. Another similar sauce called Thousand Island dressing is popular in the United States and Canada. The Thousand Island dressing recipe reputedly originated from the Thousand Islands between the state of New York and the province of Ontario.[6]Russian dressing is also similar, with mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, and other ingredients.
Ireland
In Ireland, Marie Rose sauce refers primarily to just ketchup and mayonnaise, and often salt and pepper. Marie Rose sauce in chip shops is usually known as "burger sauce", though there are many names in use. However, the above British versions are also used in Ireland. The name used is dependent on where it is being served (e.g. chip shop) and what the sauce is accompanying (such as chips or salad). More formal recipes may also incorporate ingredients such as horseradish, herbs, and Irish brandy.
Some restaurants may top or accompany Marie Rose sauce with Irish cheddar cheese.
