Food - Drink
Why Cocktail Sauce Could Be A Red Flag At A Seafood Restaurant
By KALEA MARTIN
While it's relatively easy to tell when meats like chicken and steak have gone bad, it's a little trickier for seafood. You obviously have more control over quality when you cook your own seafood, but there are certain red flags to look out for when you order it at a restaurant, including the condiments served with the dishes.
A good restaurant won't slather its seafood in cocktail sauce for the same reason upscale steakhouses don't serve their steaks with A1. Cocktail sauce masks the flavors of foods instead of complimenting them, and the combination of Worcestershire and ketchup creates an overpowering flavor that can cover up poor-quality seafood.
The primary function of cocktail sauce is to disguise seafood that's old, overcooked, unseasoned, or has an iodine aftertaste. If your seafood unexpectedly comes with a side of cocktail sauce, something fishy might be going on, and you're likely better off purchasing and preparing your own seafood that doesn't need sauce to taste good.