Salsa Rosa: A Creamy Spanish Cocktail Sauce

Pink sauce, known in Spanish as salsa rosa, is very good served with cold langoustines or any shellfish as a first course. This sauce is a Spanish version of cocktail sauce, but creamier and just slightly sweet with a little tang. The main ingredients are tomato ketchup and mayonnaise, which gives the sauce a pink hue; a bit of brandy and lemon juice help to add more depth of flavor. Similar to the typical red cocktail sauce that is ubiquitous with cold, cooked shrimp, salsa rosa has a bit of heat thanks to the Tabasco sauce. Store-bought mayonnaise is perfectly fine in this recipe, but feel free to use homemade if you are so inclined.

There are different versions of salsa rosa, depending on its origin, but it will always have a base of mayo and ketchup. It is popular in Latin America and also goes by the names of salsa rosada and salsa coctel; in Argentina it is known as salsa golf since it was created at the golf club of a seaside resort. Additional ingredients are whiskey and vodka, fresh cream, tomato sauce, and orange juice. You can also add minced garlic or a herb such as basil or oregano. This is the type of recipe that is delicious when kept pretty basic but also lends itself to flavor additions.

Unlike American seafood cocktail, which features raw or cooked seafood with a sauce on the side, in Spain, the seafood is often served over a bed of lettuce, sometimes with diced fruit, with a bit of salsa rosa draped on top. The thick, tomato-flavored sauce is also frequently used as a salad dressing, especially since many salads in Spain include fish.