Name: Marie Rose sauce recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Serves: 8
Ingredients: 200g mayonnaise; 2tbsp tomato ketchup; ¼tsp cayenne pepper; Dash of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce; Squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

By Nichola Palmer

last updated 6 November 2023

in Recipes

This Marie Rose sauce takes five minutes to make and can be made in big batches or ahead of time if you need.

This is an easy no-cook recipe that will instantly elevate your homemade prawn cocktails, a classic 1980s starter for dinner parties. Any extra sauce can be used to make a sandwich filling, just mix in some crab meat or chopped cooked prawns and pile into some soft sliced white bread. It's also a popular burger sauce and is an excellent dipping sauce for homemade fries.

Ingredients

200g mayonnaise
2tbsp tomato ketchup
¼tsp cayenne pepper
Dash of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce
Squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

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Method

Put the mayonnaise in a bowl and stir in the tomato ketchup, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce.
Add lemon juice to taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cover and chill in the fridge until needed. If you have time, let the sauce infuse for at least 2 hrs before serving.

Watch how to make Marie Rose sauce

Top tips for making Marie Rose sauce

The calorie count provided with this Marie Rose sauce recipe is for full-fat mayonnaise. For a less calorific version, replace half the mayo with natural yogurt or half-fat crème fraiche.

Is Marie Rose sauce the same as Thousand Island dressing?

Marie Rose sauce and Thousand Island dressing are very similar - some say they are practically the same thing. They have the same consistency, look, taste but can vary slightly in flavour depending on the ingredients you choose to use.

One of the interchangeable ingredients in both sauces is the use of paprika instead of cayenne pepper. Most Thousand Island sauce recipes use paprika, whereas Marie Rose sauce is traditional made with cayenne pepper.

In America, Thousand Island dressing is also referred to as special, secret or burger sauce.

What is prawn cocktail sauce made of?

Most prawn cocktails come in a dressing of Marie Rose sauce. This is a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and usually cayenne pepper or paprika.

How to make Marie Rose sauce Mary Berry?

Mary Berry’s recipe for Marie Rose sauce uses a splash of brandy and Worcestershire sauce instead of Tabasco.

Make your Marie Rose sauce ahead of time and store in an airtight container until you’re ready to assemble your prawn cocktail or seafood starter.

Check out our prawn cocktail recipe for your next dinner party or try this seafood cocktail instead. For something a little different, you might like our fruity prawn cocktail with apples and grapes.