Prawn Cocktail

Prawn cocktail: cold poached prawns, Marie Rose sauce (mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire, lemon, Tabasco), iceberg lettuce, brown bread. The Marie Rose sauce is the structural challenge: the ketchup adds sweetness and umami, the mayonnaise adds fat, the Tabasco brings mild heat, and the lemon provides acid. Some preparations add fresh chilli, which pushes the heat into moderate territory and shifts the pairing toward wines with a touch of residual sweetness. The prawns are sweet and marine beneath it all.