Homemade Tartar Sauce: 15-Minute Tartar Sauce Recipe
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: May 4, 2024 • 1 min read
Tartar sauce is a tangy and savory condiment traditionally served with many seafood appetizers and entrees, as well as on sandwiches, salads, and other types of dishes.
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What Is Tartar Sauce?
Tartar sauce is a tangy condiment that frequently accompanies seafood dishes, sandwiches, and grilled foods. It has a mayonnaise or aïoli base combined with pickles and lemon juice. Optional add-ins include chopped dill pickle juice, sweet pickles, pickle relish, butter pickles, sweet relish, fresh parsley, horseradish, Dijon mustard, minced onions, or chives.
Tart, salty, and pickled in flavor, tartar sauce pairs well with numerous foods. It’s a common accoutrement for seafood dishes, such as fresh oysters, salmon fillets, clams, catfish, and savory crab cakes, in addition to fried fish dishes—for example, crispy fish sticks, fish sandwiches, and fish and chips (also known as fish and French fries). Some people enjoy tartar sauce on sausage, tacos, hot dogs, chicken, and barbecue grilled foods, or even as a salad dressing. You can mix other condiments—such as hot sauce, dill relish, or sweet pickle relish—into your own easy tartar sauce recipes for additional spice or crunch.
The condiment may have originated in France, where it’s known as “sauce tartare.” And it’s spelled “tartare sauce” in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
Classic Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
makes
prep time
10 mintotal time
15 mincook time
5 minIngredients
- 1
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl (minus the jalapeños and red peppers). Stir everything together until it’s well combined and creamy.
- 2
Add salt and pepper, tasting frequently, until seasoned to your liking.
- 3
If you’re using jalapeños or red peppers, add them in small amounts to start—a half tablespoon or less at a time. With each addition, stir well, then taste the results. Continue until you reach your preferred flavor profile.
- 4
Store the tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 3–5 days.
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