Tracking Down a Cauliflower Recipe
Monday, October 26, 2015 at 4:00AM 
By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork
I find that, while perusing culinary magazines, if you come across a recipe that you want to try, you have to flag it immediately with a Post-It. Otherwise, the issue gets tossed back in the magazine pile and good luck in finding it again.
This was my situation when I looked for a cauliflower recipe that had intrigued me, where you cook the florets in crab boil seasoning. I had bought the seasoning but it was only last week that I happened to have a head of cauliflower in my fridge and remembered my intention. Usually I simply roast or steam the florets, or use them in stir-fries.
I couldn’t remember where I’d seen the article, so I did a web search and found it on Epicurious. The recipe, Poor Man’s “Shrimp” Cocktail, was by Chef Kevin Roberts and had been published in Bon Appétit three year ago (time flies).
I wasn’t expecting the cauliflower to taste like shrimp, and I didn’t think it did. But what I liked was that, by dipping the florets in cocktail sauce, it made the cauliflower palatable to people who aren’t particularly fond of this vegetable—and they are legion. The cauliflower “shrimp” also was a good substitute for vegetarians and anyone allergic to crustaceans.
I was thinking it would be lovely at holiday time to have a shrimp version and a cauliflower version on a buffet to accommodate dietary needs and to expand the buffet offerings inexpensively.
If you’d like to try the recipe, you can find it here.
As for the dipping sauce, try my easy recipe.
Cocktail Sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup chili sauce
1 tablespoon horseradish
½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice (depending on tartness of lemon)
1 teaspoon sriracha
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve as a dipping sauce for poached shrimp http://m.specialfork.com/recipes/poached-shrimp-aioli/, crab legs, or cauliflower cooked in crab boil seasoning.
Makes 2/3 cup.
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