[2] Seafood cocktails originated in the 19th century in the United States, usually made with oysters or shrimp.

In the United States and Canada it generally consists of, at a minimum, ketchup or chili sauce mixed with prepared horseradish.

The origins of the name are unclear and it is variously credited to a 1980s dive team cook working at the site of the Tudor ship, the Mary Rose, and Fanny Cradock.

A soufflé cup is usually set in the middle of the platter of oysters along with a cocktail fork and a lemon slice.

Often, the bottles of ketchup and other sauces are grouped together in stations every couple of feet along the counter, but in some oyster bars, patrons are served with their own ingredients.