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Spoon dipped into a bowl full of salsa rosa, a pink Spanish cocktail sauce with bowls of vegetables in the background.

Salsa Rosa – The Pink Spanish Cocktail Sauce

Last Modified: March 4, 2019 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // June 25, 2014 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

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Salsa rosa, a pink cocktail sauce that is extremely popular in Spain, is creamy, sweet, and tangy. It’s commonly used as a salad dressing or a sauce for seafood cocktails.

Close up of a spoon full of salsa rosa being poured over fresh salad.

Those of you who follow my blog may have noticed that I have been a bit absent lately. Not only was I concentrating on changing my diet, and finishing fixing up the house, but I was also expecting a family visit from Eric’s grandpa.

A good part of my break was spent just playing with Grandpa and Auntie Diane, but we also went on a road trip to the province of Seville for my cousin’s wedding.

You see, while I am an American expat living here, I do have roots here in Spain. My dad was from Granada and moved to the US before I was born, so I grew up in Michigan, but still have family here. Unfortunately, other than an aunt of mine who lives only about an hour away, the rest of my family is far enough away that I don’t get to see them that often. Weddings are a great excuse to get everybody together, and even my aunt and cousin from Venezuela came to visit.

Today, I’m going to show you how to make a simple, salsa rosa, or “pink sauce.”

What is salsa rosa?

Here in Spain, salsa rosa is the classic, go-to sauce for seafood cocktails or salads with seafood and/or fruit in them. A shrimp cocktail in Spain tends to be quite different from its North American counterpart. Shrimp or seafood cocktails are usually served over shredded lettuce with shrimp or crabmeat, diced fruit, and bathed in a sweet and tangy salsa rosa.

Salsa rosa as a salad dressing

Of course, salads in Spain almost always have tuna fish in them, and that tuna fish is often served accompanied by the salsa rosa. For that reason, the salsa rosa is probably one of the most common salad dressings, if not the most popular salad dressing, apart from vinegar and oil here in Spain.

Close up of a spoon full of salsa rosa dripping down into a white bowl full of the same sauce and a bowl of pomegranates in the back.

Watch how easy it is to make salsa rosa:

How to Make Salsa Rosa

The quick and easy way to make salsa rosa is to mix mayonnaise and ketchup, possibly adding a bit of orange juice and/or brandy. This is one of those cases, though, that making your own is definitely worth it. It doesn’t take very long at all, and the results are so much better! So, let’s get to the recipe…

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Salsa rosa, a pink cocktail sauce that is extremely popular in Spain, is creamy, sweet, and tangy. It's also commonly used as a salad dressing. #salsa #salsarosa #cocktailsauce #sauce #dressing

Salsa Rosa (Spanish Cocktail Sauce)

This pink Spanish seafood cocktail sauce, salsa rosa, is creamy, sweet, and tangy. It’s also commonly used as a salad dressing for seafood salads or those with fruit in them.
Makes around 1.5 cups of sauce, depending upon the amount of oil, juice, and ketchup added
4.34 from 3 votes
Print Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 24 1 Tbsp. servings
Calories: 87kcal
Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 orange Juiced
  • mild flavored oil Sunflower oil is usually used here, but an expeller pressed coconut oil would make a lovely salsa rosa.)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 dash brandy Optional
  • ketchup To taste (around 1/4 cup)
Switch units back – Convert units

Instructions

  • Add the egg, the salt, a dash of the orange juice, and a dash of oil to your handheld blender container of choice.
  • As you start blending the mixture, slowly stream in more oil.
  • As you blend it, adding more oil, the emulsion will become thicker and thicker.
  • When you have reached the consistency of a thick mayonnaise, stop adding in oil. (It will usually be around 1 cup of oil to get to the right consistency)
  • Now, add in the rest of the orange juice, some ketchup, and the dash of brandy, if you are using it.
  • Blend it all together and give it a taste. Usually, salsa rosa is a light to medium pink color, but you can make it suit your own taste by adding more or less ketchup to the mix.
  • The addition of the liquids will thin out the sauce somewhat. For the classic seafood cocktail in which the lettuce is mixed with the sauce, a thinner consistency is preferred. If you want a thicker sauce, don’t add in as much liquid at the end. More oil before the addition of the other liquids also helps thicken the sauce.

Notes

Nutritional information is based on using 1 cup of sunflower oil, 1/4 cup of ketchup, and obtaining 1.5 cups of sauce.
Course Condiments
Cuisine Spanish
Other Diets Dairy free, Gluten free
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
Serving: 1Tbsp. | Calories: 87kcal | Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 15mg | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1.6mg | Calcium: 2mg

How to use Salsa Rosa

Well, as I mentioned above, salsa rosa is primarily used one of two ways. It is either used as a cocktail sauce for seafood cocktails, or it is used as a basic salad dressing.

Top view of salsa rosa on top of a seafood cocktail inside a clear cocktail glass.

Using Salsa Rosa as a cocktail sauce

To make a Spanish-style seafood cocktail, dice fruits such as pineapple or peaches. You can also add other fruits for color. My husband and I love using pomegranate seeds when they are in season. First, you’ll want to prepare your lettuce by shredding it finely. Then you’ll want to top the lettuce with the prepared fruit. Finally, you’ll want to add some peeled shrimp or diced crabmeat to your seafood cocktail. For the finishing touch, add your homemade salsa rosa. The salsa rosa can either be drizzled on top or mixed in with the lettuce.

A white bowl of seafood salad in front with a bowl of salsa rosa in the back with another bowl of seafood salad beside it and a bowl of pomegranates at the back.

Using Salsa Rosa as a salad dressing

Salsa rosa can be used as any other salad dressing by drizzling as little or as much of the sauce over your prepared salad. Here the salsa rosa is most commonly used on salads that have tuna fish in them. A common simple salad uses lettuce leaves, tomato slices, and canned tuna. Other additions that commonly appear are grated carrots, grated pickled beetroot, hard boiled egg, and cucumber slices. You can also add some peeled shrimp to the salad to make it more of a complete seafood salad.

In the summer, either of these options makes a great appetizer or light meal. We make it quite often, and happen to love it. With my husband being a shrimp fisherman, though, it only makes sense that we are constantly looking for new ways to enjoy fresh shrimp. 😉

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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Salsa rosa, a pink cocktail sauce that is extremely popular in Spain, is creamy, sweet, and tangy. It's also commonly used as a salad dressing. #salsa #salsarosa #cocktailsauce #sauce #dressing

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Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
Category: Condiments & Sauces, Spanish Food & Recipes

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

Previous Post: « Close-up of a slice of mini pizza made out of homemade pizza dough. Pizza is filled with cheese, piece of meat and leafy greens. Quick and Easy Pizza Dough For the Best Pizza Crust
Next Post: Easy Strawberry Melon Gazpacho Soup Two bowls of homemade strawberry melon gazpacho soup with a small bowl of pink himalayan salt beside it. Cut up melon, cucumber, some strawberries, and a slice of tomato are scattered around the bowls. »

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  1. restaurantthatdeliversnearme.website

    August 22, 2021 at 2:00 AM

    Thanks for the recipe.

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Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
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