Tartar Sauce

Tartar Sauce makes everything better with it’s delicious bright and tangy flavor. It’s quick and easy to make and stores well in the fridge.

Our Favorite Tartar Sauce

When we went to Scotland last year, we used Yelp to find the highest-rated fish and chips spot. And reviewers did not disappoint — it was easily the best meal of our trip! One of the highlights of the meal was the tartar sauce, which the waiters continued refilling on our table throughout the meal. 

The creamy and tangy sauce was so good that we could have easily eaten it on its own!

In the months after returning from our trip, I’ve been perfecting my own version of that delicious sauce. And now, I’m excited to share with you this delicious recipe. It’s so good, you might not even get around to making the fish to serve alongside it!

Tartar Sauce Ingredients

Quality ingredients make all the difference in this sauce. Here is a quick breakdown of the ingredients in this homemade Tartar Sauce recipe:

• Lemon Juice & Zest: Adds that fresh citrus kick. A microplane and citrus juicer are game changers here.
• Full-Fat Mayo: The creamier, the better. Quality mayo like Hellman’s/Best Foods® is my favorite.
• Sweet Pickle Relish: For a sweet, tangy flavor and some crunch. Heinz® is my go-to, but chopped bread-and-butter pickles work too!
• Fresh Dill: Brings a pop of fresh flavor that’s just perfect with the tangy lemon and relish.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a rich, savory undertone.
• Dijon Mustard: For a bit of sharpness and tang. Grey Poupon® Dijon is my favorite.
• Salt & Pepper: Season to taste. Sometimes that extra pinch really amps up the flavor.

How To Make Tartar Sauce (Tips)

1. Pick Top-Quality Ingredients: The better the ingredients, the tastier the sauce!
2. Tweak It How You Like: Start with salt and pepper, then adjust things like relish until it tastes just right to you.
3. Let It Chill: Pop the sauce in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors blend beautifully over time, so it’s perfect to prepare in advance.
4. Go Fresh: Use fresh dill over dried for a fresher flavor.
5. Make It Yours: Feel free to experiment. Add capers, chopped pickles, or other fresh herbs to customize the sauce.

How To Use Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is a condiment that goes well with a variety of seafood dishes. Here are a few popular ways to use it:

1. Fish and chips: Tartar Sauce is a classic pairing with crispy fried fish. We love it with our sheet pan Baked Fish and Chips.
2. Seafood burgers: Add a dollop to your seafood burger for a tangy twist. We add this sauce to our favorite Salmon Burgers.
3. Crab cakes: Serve this sauce on the side for dipping, or spread it on top of crab cakes for an extra burst of flavor. Not a fan of crab? Well then, you’ve got to try this sauce on these amazing Tuna Patties!
4. Vegetables: Use Tartar Sauce as a dip for raw or roasted vegetables, such as carrots, celery, or cucumber.
5. Sandwiches: Spread it on your favorite sandwich to add some tang and flavor. Replace the dressing in this Tuna Salad with Tartar Sauce.
6. Seafood skewers: Serve on the side of grilled seafood skewers.
7. Fish tacos: Use this sauce as a topping for Fish Tacos.
8. Grilled fish: Serve it on the side of grilled (or air-fried) Fish.
9. Fried seafood platters: Serve Tartar Sauce on the side for dipping fried seafood such as shrimp, scallops, or calamari.

Favorite Seafood Dishes:

• Honey Garlic Shrimp with a quick stir-fry sauce
• Tuna Nicoise Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
• Tilapia Fish Tacos with avocado
• Lemon Garlic Shrimp with the best lemon butter sauce
• Tuna Casserole made in one pan!

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5 from 1 vote

Tartar Sauce

By Chelsea Lords

Tartar Sauce is the ultimate condiment that instantly upgrades any dish with its bright, tangy flavor. It’s super quick to whip up, made with just a few ingredients, and keeps perfectly in the fridge.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 servings (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)

Equipment

• Medium bowl

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lemon see note 1
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayo see note 2
• ▢ 1-1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish or diced pickles—see note 3
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Zest and juice lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/8 teaspoon of each). Mix well, taste, and adjust ingredients to your personal preference. Refrigerate sauce (covered) until ready to use. (The flavors will intensify as it sits.) Re-stir before using.
• Enjoy your homemade Tartar Sauce with fish, fries, or any dish of your choice! Lots of ideas in the blog post!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: I love zesting the lemon with a fine grater and then juicing with this citrus juicer. 

Note 2: Use a good mayonnaise; the better the mayo, the better the sauce will taste. I love Hellman’s/Best Foods®. The full-fat version gives the sauce an incredibly rich, smooth flavor.

Note 3: Heinz® is my brand of choice for the sweet pickle relish. If you don’t want to use relish, finely dice bread-and-butter pickles instead!

Storage: Store Tartar Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be kept for up to 1 week. Before serving, give it a good stir to redistribute the ingredients, as the sauce may separate during storage. If it thickens too much during storage, thin it with a drizzle of lemon juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 237mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 96IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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