The 2-Item Combo I Get At Costco To Feel Fancy Any Night Of The Week

I'm an unabashed Costco fan, but I'll admit that it takes quite some time before you find the items in stock that make it into your regular rotation. One of the things I like to get on our Costco runs involves a one-two combo that's extremely simple, yet creates a dish people pay a pretty penny for at restaurants. The best thing about this combo is that it's so accessible you can have what feels like fancy food any night of the week.

That's why I often stock up on both shrimp and cocktail sauce, though which shrimp I purchase depends on when I actually plan on eating it. If I'm looking for dinner that night, I'll get the thawed shrimp from the prepared foods section which comes with fresh lemon wedges and its own cocktail sauce (which I'll get to shortly). If I'm planning ahead, I'll get the frozen, cooked, tail-on Kirkland brand shrimp (labeled 31-40 shrimp per pound) which merely requires some quick defrosting under cold running water. The cocktail sauce that comes with the thawed shrimp is fine, but I buy a different one which is usually available in one of the refrigerated aisles for a very specific reason.

You're probably wondering why I'd go out of my way to buy a different type of cocktail sauce if there's one already included with the thawed tray of Costco shrimp. That's because the St. Elmo brand cocktail sauce I get is no ordinary cocktail sauce — this one emulates the sauce at St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is known for being extraordinarily spicy. When I say "spicy," I mean it in a horseradish way, as it's more horseradish than tomato sauce. It's not just sinus-clearing; it's sinus-searing.

It's absolutely not for everyone. And because there's so much horseradish in it, it skews more toward bitter than sweet. You can absolutely tone it down with a squirt of ketchup, but I refuse. Weeks after you open it, the horseradish heat will mellow a bit, but it still stays punishingly hot, so just be warned. I like to think this combo brings the steakhouse home to you, but in all honesty, shrimp cocktail with some light and fresh sides like a salad works for a lazy dinner during the summer months. In the winter, it's obviously good finger food for gatherings. To me, the best part is that you can have this combo practically any time to make you feel good. Costco just happens to be the best place to get it.