Simple and Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce
This creamy homemade tartar sauce is amazingly quick and easy to make at home. Learn how to whip up a batch in minutes. The sauce goes great with fried fish, stuffed eggs, and shrimp. This tartar sauce recipe may surprise you.
Today I’m sharing how to make a homemade tartar sauce. I shared recently how to make homemade mayonnaise, which is the base for the tartar Sauce.
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
Tartar sauce is a traditional French sauce made with a mayonnaise and mustard base. Its ingredients include intense flavors such as capers, pickles and cappers, raw onion… All of this is enhanced by the lemon and/or vinegar that comes from the mayonnaise.
It is usually served with fish or chicken wings, seafood or vegetable dishes, such as a good escalivada, or grilled vegetables.
Making it will only take us 10 minutes. Take note of the ingredients of the tartar sauce and discover how easy it is to make it at home. It will be a new essential in your kitchen!
Also as I mentioned before, Even though it is available ready-made in jars, the flavor doesn’t compare to a homemade tartar sauce. It’s healthier and you can make many variations from there.
You can find this recipe also in Spanish over at my mom’s blog Check out her Salsa Tartara Recipe.
How to Make Tartar Sauce
There is nothing easier than making a tartar sauce and the best part is that you can even add some extra seasoning of your choice to make it even tastier.
All you need is 10 minutes to get a creamy and flavorful dipping sauce ready for any fish, oyster, shrimp, or crab cake dish, or even veggies and pita bread or chips.
Ingredients:
- Mayonnaise – store-bought or make your own Mayonnaise. It provides the creamy base that we love.
- Fresh lemon juice – It thins out the sauce and adds a fresh zesty flavor.
- Garlic clove smashed.
- Salt and ground black Pepper – or your favorite condiments.
- Onion finely chopped
- Parsley
- Fresh dill or dried dill
- Dill pickles or sweet pickles relish
- Capers
- Yellow mustard *optional.
Instructions:
Firstly, if you are making your own mayonnaise, then start there and come back. If you are using store-bought ten jump to the next step.
When the Mayo is ready, mix in the onion, garlic, parsley, dill, pickles, capers, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
Stir until well blended and creamy.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Taste then if needed, adjust with additional lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
For the best flavor, cover, and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy!
Cooking Tips
* If you like your tartar sauce with a kick, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. It’ll give your sauce some depth and a spicy finish.
* Lemon or lime zest works wonders, giving it a fresh and tangy kick. It’s like a disco party for your taste buds!
* If you want an extra creamy tartar sauce, here’s a sneaky trick. Toss a spoonful of sour cream or Greek yogurt into the mix. It’ll make your sauce dreamily velvety and add a hint of tanginess.
What to serve Tartar Sauce with
The tartar sauce goes so well with fish and any seafood dishes, grilled, baked, or fried fish.
But it can also go very well with chicken nuggets and tender strips, roasted veggies. Why not use it in a sandwich too?
Leftover and storing
When the mayonnaise is homemade, the tartar souse should be served freshly made or kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
If you used store-bought mayonnaise, store tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Recipe Variations
Tartar sauce comes from French cuisine and radishes are also often added to the original recipe. As the recipe has spread around the world, in some countries the recipe is varied to add or remove certain ingredients. For example, the Venezuelan tartar sauce usually doesn’t use onion, while the Peruvian tartar sauce forgets the mustard. In the case of Colombian tartar sauce, it is common to add chives and even eggs.
In any case, tartar sauce is one of the most popular white sauces, as most people love it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The base of tartar sauce is typically mayonnaise, mixed with other ingredients such as pickles, onions, and herbs.
Yes! Tartar sauce can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week if used store-bought Mayo or a couple of days with homemade mayo.
Of course! I mean, why not? Tartar sauce is very customizable. You can add ingredients like capers, jalapeños, or even bacon bits to make it your own.
Well, you can, but where’s the fun in that? Pickles give tartar sauce that signature tang and crunch. However, if you’re not a pickle fan or simply don’t have any on hand, you can experiment with alternatives like capers or chopped olives to add a similar zing.
Absolutely! If you’re throwing a tartar sauce party or just really, really love the stuff, go ahead and scale up the recipe. Just make sure you’ve got a big enough bowl and plenty of hungry taste testers around to enjoy the spoils!
More Savory Recipes to Try
If you like this homemade tartar sauce you might love these other delicious savory recipes too!
🥣 Recipe
Simple and Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise – store-bought or make your own Mayonnaise. It provides the creamy base that we love.
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice – It thins out the sauce and adds a fresh zesty flavor.
- 1 garlic clove smashed.
- Salt and ground black Pepper – or your favorite condiments.
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp finely chopped dill pickles or sweet pickles relish
- 1 tsp finely chopped capers
- 1 tsp yellow mustard *optional.
Instructions
- Firstly, if you are making your own mayonnaise, then start there and come back. If you are using store-bought ten jump to the next step.
- When the Mayo is ready, mix in the onion, garlic, parsley, dill, pickles, capers, and lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Stir until well blended and creamy.
- Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Taste then if needed, adjust with additional lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- For the best flavor, cover, and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve and Enjoy!
What do you think??? Have you made homemade tartar sauce before???
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Til' next time...
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I like your recipe more than the one I have been using. Pinned.
I’m not sure why, but I’d never thought to make tartar sauce before! Sounds like a great DIY. I hope you can stop on by and share this or any other recipe with us on Five Friday Finds! :)
I love fish so this is a great recipe for me! Thank you for linking at the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you again next week.
I make homemade tartar sauce all the time but I cheat by using store bought mayonnaise (So I guess it’s semi-homade). I just mix diced dill pickles with a spoon full of mayonnaise but I bet the capers make it taste more authentic (I just never have any around but I keep pickles).
ha ha ha you should try making the whole thing… It’s so delicious!!!
XOXO
We cook fish alot and my husband loves tartar sauce so I’m glad to find an authentic, homemade recipe! Thanks!!
Oooh I’m glad you liked this post then! This goes perfect with fish! Thanks so much for your sweet visit!
XOXO
Yummy! Pinned. :)
Yayyyy Thanks!!!
XOXO
I love tartar sauce with my fish! I always have it when i go out but I hate the bought stuff in a jar – can’t wait to try this recipe!
I don’t like the jar ones either! Nothing better than homemade one! Thanks so much for taking the time to check out my recipe!
Have a wonderful weekend!
XOXO
Looks absolutely lovely. The pix are amazing, Cam ♡. I have never tried this dip..
Hey Naznin… Oh you should try it… With fish is Yummmmm!!!! Thanks SO much for taking the time to check my post!
XOXO