# Question for Brits: What do Prawn Cocktail Crisps Taste Like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230 "2017-04-25T17:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/1 "2017-04-25T17:58:22Z")
Can you taste the shrimp? Or prawns as you say? Or is it more of a tomato-ey, horseradish flavor? Or should they just be called Horseradish Crisps? I’ve never tasted the crisps, but I have had shrimp cocktails, and it’s mostly tomato-ey horseradish sauce on icy cold lumps of shrimp. I don’t really taste the shrimp at all. I guess what I’m asking is, do Prawn Cocktail Crisps taste “fishy” at all? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/2 "2017-04-25T19:40:52Z")
They taste mostly like [Marie Rose sauce](http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/536089/marie-rose-sauce), which is essentially tomato ketchup, cayenne, Tabasco and/or Worcestershire sauce. Different brands use a different flavour profile, of course, but I can’t say that I’ve tasted any particularly “fishy” ones. It’s not high on my list of favourite crisp flavours though. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/3 "2017-04-25T19:53:31Z")
Not fishy at all, and not like prawn. I dislike the taste of prawns, but prawn cocktail crisps are one of my weaknesses. I’ve never been able to work out quite what they taste like, but then, I was introduced to them at a very young age, so other stuff tastes like them, not the other way round to me. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/4 "2017-04-25T20:30:04Z")
Shrimp is not exactly a bold flavor on its own, and they do not and should not ever taste “fishy.” If you’ve ever had Asian-style shrimp chips, the flavor is there but it is very, very subtle. I’ve not had these prawn cocktail chips but I’d imagine they taste like whatever their powdered approximation of cocktail sauce is. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/5 "2017-04-25T22:48:50Z")
I recently saw part of an episode of NCIS, where one of the characters got excited about an English agent having brought over some “Prawn and Ketchup” crisps. Now, so far as I know, “Prawn and Ketchup” is not an actual crisp flavour, but I suppose it’s a reasonable approximation of what at least one American scriptwriter thinks Prawn Cocktail crisps taste like. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/6 "2017-04-25T22:48:52Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Shrimp is not exactly a bold flavor on its own, and they do not and should not ever taste “fishy.” If you’ve ever had Asian-style shrimp chips, the flavor is there but it is very, very subtle. > > I’ve not had these prawn cocktail chips but I’d imagine they taste like whatever their powdered approximation of cocktail sauce is. Brit here, tending to concur: IMO they taste more like cocktail sauce, “sorta-kinda”, than anything actually seafoody (and I love real prawns / shrimps). I don’t like prawn cocktail crisps – but I’m very conservative where potato crisps are concerned. I like old-fashioned “plain with salt”; cheese-and-onion; and Worcester sauce, crisps. All other flavours – to hell with them. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/7 "2017-04-25T23:01:53Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > I like old-fashioned “plain with salt”; cheese-and-onion; and Worcester sauce, crisps. All other flavours – to hell with them. I’m a traditionalist here as well. Add salt and vinegar to your list, but tbh I’ve never had a packet of Worcester Sauce flavour that is better than added a couple of drops of the real thing to a pack of plain and giving it a shake. Brannigans Roast Beef and Mustard, and Mackies Haggis and Black Pepper, if I want to go upmarket. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/8 "2017-04-25T23:58:27Z")
I’ve recently become addicted to Walker’s Marmite crisps. Being in the US, having them shipped here is…spendy. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/9 "2017-04-26T01:00:19Z")
> [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > I’ve recently become addicted to Walker’s Marmite crisps. Being in the US, having them shipped here is…spendy. Yes, it is. So I just smear some marmite on my favorite chip. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/10 "2017-04-26T01:19:52Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Brit here, tending to concur: IMO they taste more like cocktail sauce, “sorta-kinda”, than anything actually seafoody (and I love real prawns / shrimps). I don’t like prawn cocktail crisps – but I’m very conservative where potato crisps are concerned. I like old-fashioned “plain with salt”; cheese-and-onion; and Worcester sauce, crisps. All other flavours – to hell with them. I remember my first visit to the UK and being enamoured by all the unfamiliar flavors of crisps/chips. (Actually, exploring a country’s potato chip flavors is one of my favorite introductions to a culture.) Beef & onion, prawn cocktail, Worcester. The one I miss not having here in the US (or at least not commonly available–I’m sure there must be someone somewhere making them) are the Worcester ones. Yeah, yeah, I know I can shake a bag with real sauce, but usually when I buy chips, it’s a small packet in the gas station (I mean, “petrol station”) when I’m travelling, so I don’t have a bottle of sauce handy. The marmite ones seem right up my alley, too. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/11 "2017-04-26T07:17:28Z")
I think the flavour has already been covered but worth mentioning that the best prawn cocktail flavour crisps are [Seabrook’s](http://www.seabrookcrisps.com/proddetail.php?prod=5016451761167) crinkle-cut. And for the king of the psuedo-potatoey snack you have to consider [pickled onion monster munch](http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/walkers-monster-munch-pickled-onion-x6-25g?langId=44&storeId=10151&krypto=lyMn4cHJX%2BqfdWtcPM%2B7UGY234s9ATrRsjRDrglRvubfjQlkkX6lRu5WbMTl%2B%2BL%2FewB%2F5d6FIQUzpmhmqI%2FTr7UcJSj4DjbrqOr0IraLxz9RXSbXdU42SIQyz17VS1Ii2EaWsrbJyxyZrsL%2Fj58WplYoZ8uy%2BtEfCquQB1cYKLA%3D&ddkey=http%3Agb%2Fgroceries%2Fwalkers-monster-munch-pickled-onion-x6-25g) ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/12 "2017-04-26T17:17:13Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I’m a traditionalist here as well. Add salt and vinegar to your list, but tbh I’ve never had a packet of Worcester Sauce flavour that is better than added a couple of drops of the real thing to a pack of plain and giving it a shake. Brannigans Roast Beef and Mustard, and Mackies Haggis and Black Pepper, if I want to go upmarket. Nope: I don’t like salt-and-vinegar, though I know very many people do. And I have no use for any kind of beef-flavoured crisps. Haggis and Black Pepper sound strange and interesting enough to be at least worth a try… Would Mackies be a Scottish firm? Living a fair way southward in England, I have never, so far as I recall, encountered a crisp-making outfit of that name. > [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > I’ve recently become addicted to Walker’s Marmite crisps. Being in the US, having them shipped here is…spendy. > [@pulykamell](#): > > The marmite ones seem right up my alley, too. I quite like Marmite (a product which, by popular repute, people either love or loathe – I must be odd, in this); but to me, Marmite-flavoured crisps just seem wrong. Clearly, I’m an utter stick-in-the-mud crisps-wise. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/13 "2017-04-26T17:31:09Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Would Mackies be a Scottish firm? Living a fair way southward in England, I have never, so far as I recall, encountered a crisp-making outfit of that name. They are, a family-run firm with a couple of farms in Perthshire. Tesco carries their stuff but maybe just up here. They make lovely ice cream too. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/14 "2017-04-26T18:03:42Z")
Actual salt and vinegar on crisps (what Americans call chips) is good (though it’s better on fresh-and-hot fries/chips), but the flavoring that they put on packaged ones is terrible. Apparently you just can’t get powdered vinegar flavor (some sort of acetate salt, I guess?) to work right. And if you’re in an American petrol store and craving something crunchy that tastes of Worchestershire, you might see if they have bags of Chex mix (the one food that Americans routinely use Worchestershire sauce for). ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/15 "2017-04-26T18:04:02Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > They are, a family-run firm with a couple of farms in Perthshire. Tesco carries their stuff but maybe just up here. They make lovely ice cream too. I can get their ice cream from Sainsbury’s up here (or down here, depending on who’s reading) in the Peak District. Have vanilla and honeycomb flavours in the freezer right now. Delicious it is too. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/16 "2017-04-27T07:58:14Z")
I’m in Birmingham. Maybe Mackies can be got here, and I just haven’t been particularly looking. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/17 "2017-04-27T10:36:55Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Shrimp is not exactly a bold flavor on its own, and they do not and should not ever taste “fishy.” I agree that the flavour of shrimp/prawns is normally pretty subtle, but they do taste ‘seafoody’. (I’m not sure ‘fishy’ is even a useful term any more because it seems like a lot of people insist that fish itself should not taste ‘fishy’ - by which I assume they mean ‘fishy’ to mean ‘like rotten fish’). I’ve had prawn cocktail crisps/snacks that definitely had a ‘seafoody’ tang to them - more noticeable from the residual aroma on my fingers than it was when I was actually eating them. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/18 "2017-04-27T14:40:09Z")
MMm, cheese and onion. I haven’t figured out why that particular flavour combo hasn’t been more popular in Canada. We have sour cream and onion, yoghurt and chive, and of course, ketchup. The consistently best salt and vinegar crisps I’ve had were these [Ms.Vickies](https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/miss-vickies-sea-salt-malt-vinegar-kettle-cooked-potato-chips/877233) but the ones I miss most were Old Dutch Rave salt and vinegar. They packed a real punch. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/19 "2017-04-27T15:21:27Z")
I always think they taste more sweet than anything else. The flavour they are trying to channel is definitely the marie rose sauce rather than the prawns. Now, if you really want to try a prawn cocktail flavour snack, you need to be seeking KP Skips. [https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/kp-skips-prawn-cocktail-14-pack](https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/kp-skips-prawn-cocktail-14-pack) ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230/20 "2017-04-27T15:42:06Z")
> [@Scougs](#): > > I always think they taste more sweet than anything else. The flavour they are trying to channel is definitely the marie rose sauce rather than the prawns. > > Now, if you really want to try a prawn cocktail flavour snack, you need to be seeking KP Skips. > > [https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/kp-skips-prawn-cocktail-14-pack](https://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/kp-skips-prawn-cocktail-14-pack) Wow! That’s given me a heady whiff of nostalgia. I haven’t had a packet of those since the '70s. Now I want some of those, a Wagon Wheel and a Curly Wurley while I read my Whizzer and Chips annual. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-brits-what-do-prawn-cocktail-crisps-taste-like/785230.md?page=2)