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My father loved seafood because he was brought up in a coastal town on the west coast of Italy and fish was plentiful, which usually also meant economical. He would eat anything that came out of the ocean. Once he found a seashell that washed up on the beach and didn't even know what it was. But because it was still alive and came from the sea, he ate it anyway. I remember coming home and asking him if what he was eating was good. He said, “Yes, it's delicious. I said, ”What is it?“ He said, ”I don't know but it came from the ocean, so I knew it would be good.“ I suspect he had a basic knowledge or common sense that helped him consider the risk because even I know there are some things that are not edible from the ocean just as there are poisonous mushrooms and poisonous berries, which he also liked to pick and eat. He always knew how to differentiate in those two areas.
The thing is, he never wanted sauce on anything except his pasta. He would eat plain lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, hamburgers, hot dogs, even pizza - everything with no dressing, condiment or sauce. And he never wanted to even try anything different. He wouldn't taste ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, butter, cream or any kind of dressing. Me - I'm a sauce person. I love to try all kinds of different stuff. My taste in food is kind of like my taste in music - I love all kinds as long as it is made well, in the case of food, or played well, in the case of music.

So, speaking of seafood, let's take a look at a couple of simple shrimp sauces that, to me, make the shrimp taste so much better! I like to serve both when I am entertaining and I prefer a medium shrimp over those gigantic sizes that are almost like small lobster tails. Something like a 26/30 count or, at the largest, a 21/25 count. The real large ones are much more expensive and not any tastier. Try to stay away from the really tiny “popcorn” shrimp because they put some kind of additive in them that is not good for you. My two favorite sauces are the typical American shrimp cocktail sauce and a French remoulade sauce. The English have a really good sauce that I enjoy, but I forgot how to make it. Have to ask my friend “Lord Neil” next time he comes back to Auburn. Those of you who have met him know how entertaining and likable he is; what you may not know is that he is a world-class chef.

These sauces are easy and quick. They require only a few ingredients and no special tools. Anyone can make them in a matter of minutes, so now that football season is in full swing, next time “the boys” are coming to watch the game, give them something healthy like shrimp with a choice of sauces, instead of just chips and dips.

Bob Leonardi, of Auburn, ran a successful restaurant business, catering, and gourmet food store in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for 15 years

Shrimp cocktail sauce

12 shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup horseradish, fresh

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 cup Heinz ketchup

1/4 cup Heinz chili sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh

A pinch of celery salt

Wash lemon and squeeze. Measure all ingredients. The chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce and celery salt are all optional. Mixing just the other ingredients alone makes a really good sauce. However, to take it up a notch, these three items do make a little difference.

Simply combine all ingredients together and add more of whatever you want to be the predominant taste. If you like it real spicy, add more horseradish. if your preference is mild, add more ketchup. Sat and pepper to taste, as well as everything else.

Remoulade sauce

1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon capers

1/2 teaspoon Italian parsley, fresh

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cornichon or gherkin

1/2 teaspoon red onion

1/2 teaspoon shallots

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Wash parsley and mince. Mince capers, red onion and shallots. Finely chop cornichon or gherkin. Squeeze lemon and measure all other ingredients. Some people like to add anchovies. I prefer not for this sauce, but if you love anchovies, put a couple in the mix. Also, the shallots and parsley are optional. As always, use whatever is your preference for taste and consistency.

Mix all ingredients and adjust to your personal taste. I like to serve both sauces. I also like to serve lemon wedges, for people like my father, who don't care for sauces.
It's just that easy!