How to turn the dregs of a ketchup bottle into a classic Marie Rose dressing – recipe | Waste not

My new favourite preparation for sauces, marinades and dressings is in a near-empty jar, tub or bottle, so I can upcycle all the remains. Rather than washing it and putting it in the recycling, I instead add a few store-cupboard ingredients to create a dressing or sauce, often re-exploring classics such as a retro Marie Rose sauce or my yoghurt-pot chicken. It’s a convenient way to use up the last dregs of a ketchup bottle, for instance, which often seems to harbour exactly the right amount of sauce.

My Marie Rose recipe is inspired by the one in Simon Hopkinson and Lindsey Bareham’s 1997 The Prawn Cocktail Years. It’s wonderfully simple, with the sophisticated addition of a dash of cognac, though other recipes use brandy. I had neither, however, but I did have some sweet vermouth left over, which worked exceptionally well, so feel free to experiment with whatever spirits you have to hand – vodka, for instance, works brilliantly, and gives the sauce a nice kick.

Serve tossed with prawns, avocado, lettuce and cucumber in a classic prawn cocktail, or splat on to burger buns, or do as I did and serve drizzled over wedges of iceberg lettuce garnished with celery leaves and capers, and dusted with paprika. Glass or plastic bottles both work, though squeezy ones help to deliver a chef-like drizzle.

Ketchup bottle Marie Rose

When I was a kid, I used to love ketchup on just about everything, so these days it seems a rather odd concept to mix it with mayonnaise and prawns. Even so, it is surprisingly good – well, of course it is – and a great way to use up the annoying last dregs in the bottom of the bottle. Besides the other dishes mentioned above, Marie Rose also goes really well with avocado fries, if you happen to also have an under-ripe avocado to hand.

4-5 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp sweet vermouth, or other spirit (vodka, cognac, brandy)
1-3 tbsp sriracha, Tabasco or other chilli sauce, to taste
1 small squeeze lemon juice
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
1 part-empty ketchup bottle, with roughly 1-2 tbsp remaining
Paprika, to finish, optional

Using a funnel, if you have one, add the mayonnaise, vermouth, Tabasco (or other chilli sauce), lemon juice, a small pinch of sea salt and generous grind of black pepper to the near-empty ketchup bottle. Screw the lid back on and shake well. Taste, adjusting for seasoning, heat and acidity as required, then squeeze directly over your chosen dish. Finish with a pinch of paprika, if you like.