Marie Rose Sauce Recipe, a classic sauce for any seafood but especially good with battered cod. A creamy cocktail sauce, a seafood sauce, it’s a creamy combination of mayonnaise, ketchup and Tabasco Sauce. A scrumptious way to enjoy fish.
Fried Fish Filets. They’re mighty good. About once a month, I’ll innocently be driving down the street and my car will mysteriously pull itself into a McDonalds and I suddenly find myself eating a Filet-O-Fish Sandwich. I don’t get fries, so the guilt level is minimal.
I’ve been wanting to make my own Filet-O-Fish at home so picked up a package of Safeway frozen cod filets, only to open them up to find two inch thick odd shaped chunks of fish. Most certainly would’t work for a sandwich. So I pulled out my Marie Rose Sauce with Battered Cod recipe and simply served it over some greens that were tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.
And since I’ve written this post, I wanted to pass along another brand of battered cod filets that I find to be acceptable in lieu of frying your own cod at home. 365 Brand Beer Battered Cod Filets.
I loved this sauce for cod filets so much I decided to be a grown up and make my own. I found this Marie Rose Sauce Recipe (below) for Battered Cod over at Food and Wine Magazine. It’s a good recipe with a beautiful coating leaving the fish tender and flaky inside.
What is Marie Rose Sauce?
I’ve had this recipe for years and have never asked myself that question until I sat down to write this up. Here’s what Wikipedia told me:
Origon of Marie Rose sauce (known in some areas as cocktail sauce, seafood sauce, ketchyo, maychup, ketchanaise, tomayo, burger sauce, fancy sauce or dip) is a British condiment made from a blend of ketchup and mayonnaise, although it can have other ingredients as well. It is often used with seafood, and prawns in particular. Giles Coren said: “Prawn cocktail dripping with Marie Rose sauce is, probably, most symbolic of 70s cuisine. Despite popular belief, Russian dressing, although demonstrating many of the physical and chemical properties of Marie Rose, is a completely separate condiment and should be treated as such. In the United States, a similar sauce, fry sauce, is served with french fries. And in the United States and Canada, another similar sauce called Thousand Island dressing is served. Thousand Island dressing recipe reputedly originated from the Thousand Islands in Ontario, Canada. (photo above from Wikipedia)
Marie Rose Sauce Recipe with Battered Cod
The recipe comes from Food and Wine Magazine. The cod filets are dusted with flour and then dipped in a batter of flour and water that’s been laced with some baking soda. It makes for a thick and luxurious pocket that browns up beautifully and seems to steam the fish inside for a flaky and moist end result.
I hope you give this Marie Rose Sauce recipe a try and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe. I love hearing from my readers.
And if you have a favorite way to use Marie Rose Sauce, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Cod Recipes
- Pan Fried Cod with Mustard Caper Sauce
- Steamed Cod in Parchment
- Island Seafood Stew with Shrimp and Cod
- Shrimp and Cod Bourride
Marie Rose Sauce is a classic sauce for any seafood but especially good with battered cod. A creamy cocktail sauce, a seafood sauce, it's a creamy combination of mayonnaise, ketchup and Tabasco Sauce. A scrumptious way to enjoy fish.
- For the Marie Rose Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- For the Battered Cod
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- 2 pounds skinless cod fillets cut into 4-inch pieces
For the Marie Rose Sauce:
In a bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the ketchup, lemon juice and Tabasco.
For Battered Cod:
Pour the water into a mixing bowl of an electric mixer. At low speed, beat in the 2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the baking soda. Strain the batter into another bowl.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil to 360°. Line a rack with paper towels. Dust 5 pieces of cod with flour, then tap off the excess.
Dip the cod in the batter, scraping the pieces lightly against the side of the bowl to remove excess batter, and add to the hot oil. Fry over moderate heat until golden and crisp, about 7 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to the rack. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter. Sprinkle with salt and serve at once with the sauce.
This post contains affiliate links which means if you order the battered cod fillets from Amazon, I’ll receive a small commission, at no extra charge to you.
Marie Rose Sauce with battered Cod …It’s What’s for Dinner.
Kirsten@ My Kitchen in the Rockies says
April 28, 2013 at 2:46 pmLea Ann, did I read right? McDonald’s???!!
Love the first picture with the bowl. So pretty. I just made a very similar sauce (even made my own mayo) for a halibut dish the other night. Unfortunately no left overs to use for a post. My kids love battered fish, but I haven’t made it in a while. They would love this dish. Thanks!
Lea Ann says
April 28, 2013 at 3:36 pmDid I say McDonalds???? yes. 🙂 Kirsten, I just can’t resist their fish sandwiches. And about once a year I get a Big Mac. ahem. But to exonerate myself, I’m going to recreate it at home. As always thanks for stopping by and I do appreciate that little “scold”.
Colleen says
April 28, 2013 at 2:52 pmRecreating McD’s fish sandwich is on my things-I-want-to-do list, too. I have tried many frozen breaded fish but haven’t found any that come close. Please keep trying! Colleen
Lea Ann says
April 28, 2013 at 3:34 pmI am going to keep trying. I thought I’d bread my own fish, probably with panko. Even tho McD’s doesn’t do that, that’s my plan. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
Karen Harris says
April 29, 2013 at 5:56 amI must admit that I love those fish sandwiches too! That crispy fish, steamed bun, creamy tartar sauce and the off centered little piece of cheese that always annoys me just a bit, but not too much to pass them by. Love Rose Marie sauce too. Served with couple of boiled prawns on a bed of lettuce . . . pure yum.
Karen Harris says
April 29, 2013 at 5:57 amHa ha! Meant Marie Rose. It’s very early.
Jenn says
April 29, 2013 at 6:39 amFunny… I have been mixing ketchup and mayo together since I was about 7… who knew I was making Marie Rose sauce?? Love it!!!
Happy Valley Chow says
April 29, 2013 at 8:15 amI absolutely LOVE cod…my dad and I used to go up to Massachusetts every summer and go deep sea fishing for cod. Nothing beats when it is caught fresh out of the water. I never knew it was called Marie Rose sauce, you learn something new everyday!
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Lea Ann says
April 29, 2013 at 5:24 pmI need to buy it more often. So moist and flaky. I can’t imagine how good it tastes fresh. I had never heard of this sauce when I found the recipe at Food and Wine. Must be a regional thing. I wonder if it’s pronounced like the flower or the wine.
Karen says
April 29, 2013 at 8:51 amI think this sauce wins for having the most names. Ha!
Lea Ann says
April 29, 2013 at 5:23 pmLOL, love it Karen. I agree.
Vickie says
April 29, 2013 at 8:56 amLOL about Micky Dee’s. I love those sandwiches, too. They’re perfect little fish sliders, right? When my eco-conscious grandson was about 4, he told me not to buy anything from McDonald’s because they make hamburgers from rain forests. Still, I make the little covert sandwich stop like you – about once a year. 😉
P.S. I’m going to try this fish batter next time I make fish tacos – it sounds delcious.
Lea Ann says
April 29, 2013 at 5:23 pmI’m thinking it would work on Fish Tacos. Did I mention that I sit in the car and eat that fish sandwich like a starved wild animal????? 🙂 Did Liberal have a McDonalds? I can’t remember.
Vickie says
April 30, 2013 at 4:19 pmHa ha – I wolf mine in the car, too.
Liberal had an A&W and a Sonic out near the drive-in. but no McD. The A&W was the “in-place” but I really loved Sonic burgers and still do.
Lea Ann says
May 1, 2013 at 6:16 amI like Sonic burgers too Vickie. I’ve been wanting to stop at an A&W for a Rootbeer. It’s been years. And of course I’d have to have a chili dog.
Velva says
April 29, 2013 at 9:28 amI rarely go to McDonald’s but the other day I was passing it and thought I have to have one of their sundaes…. I ordered a strawberry sundae and woofed it down within 5 minutes. Sometimes McDonald’s just does the trick.
I have no doubt that McDonald’s filet o fish sandwich could not be compared to the battered fried cod filets you made- Beautiful.
Velva
Lea Ann says
April 29, 2013 at 5:22 pmThank you Velva. As long as I’m not there everyday, I don’t mind a McDonald’s visit every once in a while. and omg, I’m a sucker for those fries.
Dave says
April 29, 2013 at 9:36 amI get that same craving every year during Lent. Will have to give this a try with the haddock that my dear wife just bought. Thanks for sharing!
Lea Ann says
April 29, 2013 at 5:21 pmI don’t think I’ve ever had haddock. I need to make more kinds of fish.
Susan says
April 29, 2013 at 10:13 amAfter many years of thinking I didn’t like cod, I tried it and decided I do like it – very much! I look forward to trying this recipe for cod and the Mary Rose sauce which I hadn’t heard of before. This would make a delicious filet-o-fish sandwich!
Lea Ann says
April 29, 2013 at 5:19 pmI agree, if the shape of the fish would have been right. I’m a cod fan, especially if I get it cooked right. 🙂
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen says
April 30, 2013 at 10:32 amLove the first photo of the bowl and the sauce dripping down the side. Wow, what a great shot. Thanks for the explanation of the sauce. It’s amazing how many different names a sauce can go by.
BTW, we get McD cravings too. Mostly my husband for the quarter pounder with cheese. Me, I miss their chicken strips that have magically disappared off of the menu. Probably because they tasted too much like the real thing 🙂
Sam
Lea Ann says
May 1, 2013 at 6:18 amThanks for the compliment on that photo Sam. I didn’t get good pics of the fish, so decided to feature that one. I don’t think I’ve ever had the chicken strips. Probably cold never give up that fish sandwich thing to give them a try.
Rocky Mountain Woman says
April 30, 2013 at 4:30 pmI am totally going to call fry sauce “Marie Rose” sauce anymore. It’s such an elegant name!
Lea Ann says
May 1, 2013 at 6:15 amMe too!
Rhonda says
April 30, 2013 at 10:30 pmAh, prawn sauce. After 4 years in England that’s what I know this by! Always enjoyed it. That guys photography is amazing, I see he copied your running egg shot 😉
Lea Ann says
May 1, 2013 at 6:13 amI’ll have to go back and look if Wikipedia included prawn sauce as a name. I agree with Karen. This sauce gets the award for the most names.
Chris says
May 7, 2013 at 7:39 pmAlexis is fond of those fish sandwiches too, everyone has to have their guilty pleasures, right? Gotta try my own version of that marie rose sauce.
Lea Ann says
May 11, 2013 at 5:56 amMy guilty pleasures get worse than that. I’ve been known to eat a Big Mac or two.