How Do I Make Tartar Sauce

What Are The Ingredients Of Tartar Sauce

Ive always been a big fan of making my own condiments. I love fresh salad dressing, and Ive been making homemade cocktail sauce forever. But, homemade tartar sauce might be the single best condiment you can make for yourself.

It blows store bought sauce out of the water, which is convenient since its a condiment for fish . I made this particular batch of tartar sauce for frozen beer battered cod that we bought at Costco.

It might not seem like much, but the homemade tartar sauce made even a super easy dinner taste great, which is great when youre not in the mood to cook or youre just too darn hot like everyday this week.

This tartar sauce would also be great with baked fish, crab cakes, salmon burgers or even your favorite fish cakes. Its a very versatile sauce.

What Is The Origin Of Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce’s roots are difficult to track. It’s believed that tartar sauce originated in France after the 18th century because France first invented mayonnaise, which is a main ingredient in tartar sauce.

The name might just be an even bigger mystery. Many people think tartar sauce was named after the Tatars, who also may have lent their name to steak tartare. It’s thought that the French based the sauce’s name off their spelling of Tatar, which is tartare. That’s why it’s called sauce tartare in France, tartare sauce in the U.K. and other parts of the Commonwealth, and tartar sauce in the U.S.

Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

This homemade tartar sauce recipe is so fresh and flavorful! Learn how to make tartar sauce at home for your next seafood dish.

Homemade Tartar Sauce is filled with so many bold flavors, and thats what I love about it! Its so creamy and tart, and its the best flavor combo when mixed with seafood. I love fresh seafood, especially grilled or baked fish. And crab cakesI could eat those all day! This Tartar Sauce recipe just enhances the flavor of my favorite seafood dishes. Its such a classic!

Ive been making a lot of homemade classics lately, because homemade sauces and dressings really just taste better. And theyre all so easy to make! You can make ranch dressing, Caesar salad dressing, and basil walnut pestonow you can learn how to make tartar sauce too!

This is the best tartar sauce recipe to make at home, and it tastes so incredibly delicious with baked, battered, and fried seafood dishes!

Learn How to Make Tartar Sauce with this flavorful Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe. Its so creamy and tasty with crab cakes, battered fish, and lots of other seafood dishes!

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Why You Should Make Homemade Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is originally a French sauce that’s become popular worldwide – especially in Commonwealth countries and the US. It’s a well-known condiment typically served with fish and chips.

You’ve got to try making a homemade version though because it’s so fresh and deeply flavorful! It’s also incredibly easy to make.

You can also tweak it to add more relish, lemon juice, or mustard if you’d like one flavor to be a little stronger. It’s so much better than the jarred stuff.

How To Make The Best Fish Sticks

These better than the box fish sticks are prepared from scratch. The ingredient list is simple and you probably have most of what you need already in your kitchen!

To make fish sticks, you will need the following ingredients :

• Firm mild white fish like cod, halibut, or catfish.
• Flour for breading. This can be all-purpose flour or if you are gluten-free, try gluten-free flour or certified GF almond flour.
• Eggs for breading. If you do not eat eggs, Cooks Illustrated suggests substituting heavy cream for the eggs. You might also get away with olive oil.
• Breadcrumbs, crushed cereal , or crushed potato chips. We used panko breadcrumbs in the photos, but recently shared homemade chicken nuggets that use potato chips as the breading and they were incredible! For our gluten-free readers, make sure you choose certified GF cereal or chips.
• Spices including onion powder, garlic powder, dried or fresh dill, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. For different variations, use your favorite spice blends like lemon pepper or Creole seasoning.

To bread the fish, we use a traditional three-part breading process. This is the best way to make sure the breading stays on the fish and becomes crisp.

Its a simple process. Add flour and spices to one dish, beat eggs in a second dish, and then mix breadcrumbs and a few more seasonings in a third dish.

After cutting the fish into thin strips, roll them into the flour, dip into the egg, and then coat in the breadcrumbs.

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Tips For Making This Recipe

Links on some posts are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Specialty Ingredients – I highly recommend using Duke’s Mayo for this recipe – I think it has the best flavor.

Storing Tips – You can save the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

If you try this recipe, let us know! and share your photos or leave us a rating.

Easy Tartar Sauce For Fish And Other Seafood

This is delicious on seafood, such as this pecan-crusted fish that I make or these tasty salmon cakes, also known as salmon patties or salmon croquettes.

Or if you like fish sticks, this tartar sauce makes them even better.

Its also good on crab cakes, fried fish fillets, or any of your favorite fish or seafood.

The sauce adds a creamy texture along with great flavor to whatever you put it on.

So you never have to eat boring fish. After you make it the first time, you can adjust the ingredients to suit your own taste.

Although you can purchase it already made, there is no need since its so easy to make from scratch.

This easy tartar sauce recipe will make you a believer in making all of your own dipping sauce.

It doesnt take a long time to make, and you can whip it up while the fish cooks. Or you can prepare it in advance and stick it in the fridge to chill for a while.

You may also enjoy this flavorful cocktail sauce thats also good on any kind of fish.

I always make it homemade cocktail sauce for shrimp, oysters, and other shellfish. Its truly a delicious condiment.

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Expert Tips For Success

• This recipe can easily be doubled! Use the slider in the recipe card to change the number of servings.
• If you dont have fresh dill, dried or frozen dill work well too! Use 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill or 1 teaspoon of fresh or frozen dill.
• Feel free to add more chopped dill pickles for a chunkier sauce!
• If you prefer a smoother, less chunky sauce, chop the pickles finely or chop them up in a food processor.
• You can make tartar sauce with capers if you like them! Just add about 1 Tbsp or more of chopped capers to the sauce for an extra flavor punch. Finely chopped onions are also a great add-in!
• To make the sauce not as rich, use 1/2 greek yogurt and 1/2 mayonnaise. I also like to use olive oil mayonnaise for a lighter taste.
• To make vegan tartar sauce, use vegan mayonnaise. Store-bought relish is usually vegan but make sure to check the ingredients for honey.

How To Make Tartar Sauce

Making homemade tartar sauce is quite simple. All you have to do is mix all your ingredients together in a bowl then your sauce is ready to go. You should refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving.

The relish will make the sauce a little chunky, so you can puree your sauce in a food processor or blender for a smoother consistency.

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May Increase Bone Density

Tartar sauce is a good source of vitamin K, an essential vitamin that plays a key role in bone health.

Your body needs vitamin K to produce certain proteins involved in bone metabolism, such as osteocalcin .

Some research associates vitamin K deficiency with a higher risk of fractures and osteoporosis, as well as decreased bone density (

Recipe Variations & Add

• Because we love a chunky tartar sauce with lots of crunch, I sometimes finely dice a few sweet pickles to add to the relish.
• Add a little fresh dill, parsley, or chives for more herby flavor.
• If your prefer dill pickles over sweet, use a dill relish. Most recipes that use dill relish also add 1 teaspoon sugar to their recipe.
• Looking for an extra punch of savory flavor? Think about adding a teaspoon Dijon mustard.

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What To Serve With Them

There are lots of options for what to serve with fish sticks. Here are a few of our favorite combinations:

• These oven-baked potato wedges are perfectly browned and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
• Try making another childhood favorite from scratch. Heres how to make tater tots at home without frying.
• I love these baked sweet potato fries that are caramelized and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. No fryer needed here.
• For an even healthier meal, add fish sticks to the top of salad or serve with a big batch of roasted vegetables.

Best Ingredients To Use For Homemade Tartar Sauce

• For the very best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon and fresh dill. Theres just something so fresh and light about using juice from a real lemon. For maximum juice, roll it on the counter for a few seconds before slicing in half and squeeze cut side up, to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Or you can microwave your lemon for about 10 seconds, which really gets those tangy juices flowing.
• Dill weed loses its freshness quickly, so if youre purchasing dill, use it with a day or two of purchase. If you grow dill in your garden, pick it just before you plant to use it in a recipe. The dill leaves will wilt and lose their flavor if kept in the fridge too long.
• Dont worry about too much dill overpowering the dish. The dill weed has such a mild flavor that you can add quite a bit if you choose.
• When chopping fresh dill leaves, remove the feathery fern-like leaves and stems from the thick center stem. Discard the stem, then use a sharp chopping knife to mince the leaves to the desired consistency.
• If you dont have fresh dill available, use dried dill! Be sure to crush the dill leaves between your fingers before adding to the tartar sauce, which will bring out more of the flavor.
• Use a good quality mayonnaise it makes a huge difference in the taste of the sauce. We really love Best Foods or Hellmans Mayo, but use whatever you prefer.
• If you want to make tartar sauce without mayo or miracle whip, try using plain Greek yogurt. Itll also give it a boost of protein.

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Best Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

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Homemade tartar sauce is super easy to make, which is why I rarely purchase it already made any more. You only need a few ingredients that you probably already have. And it costs pennies to make.

This classic tartar sauce recipe is delicious as-is, but you can always substitute or leave out ingredients you dont want. However, try it this way first because its delicious.

You can actually get a variety of recipes, starting with the basic ingredients and adding other flavors.

Reasons Youll Love This Recipe

• Tastes so much better than store-bought tartar sauce and can be customized to your taste. Love capers? Add some. Not a fan of mustard? Use less or leave it out.
• Its a simple recipe You only need a few simple ingredients that you probably have at home and there isnt a lot of chopping involved!
• This recipe is so quick to make! Depending on how fast you can chop the pickles this sauce can be whipped up in 2 minutes.
• The sauce can be made ahead and it keeps in the fridge for about 1 week.

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Variations On The Tartar Sauce Recipe

While I encourage you to try the tartar sauce recipe as is, we all have different preferences, needs and available ingredients at the moment. Here are a few simple additions and swaps to the tartar sauce you may like.

• For those looking for a lower fat, fewer calories, version of tartar sauce, substitute a portion of the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream. I advise you not to swap more than half so you will maintain the traditional tartar sauce flavor. Light mayo is also an option.
• If you like it tangy or thinner in consistency, add some dill pickle juice to the recipe. Add a teaspoon at a time until you get the flavor where you want.
• Prefer a sweeter tartar sauce? Use sweet pickle relish or chopped sweet pickles in place of the dill relish in the recipe. Adding a little sugar or swapping Miracle Whip for the mayonnaise in the tartar sauce are also options.
• Some like to add minced onion in the recipe as well, especially if they are using chopped pickles instead of relish.
• Add some zesty flavor to the sauce with a little horseradish or splash of hot sauce.

How To Make Dill Pickle Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, try homemade mayonnaise
• 1 small pickle of finely chopped dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more depending on nutritional value.
• 1 tablespoon chopped minced optional
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

• Combine mayonnaise, pickle, lemon juice, capers, and dill.
• Season with a little salt and pepper. Taste and then adjust with additional lemon juice, salt, and pepper. For best flavor, cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

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What Goes With Tartar Sauce

This tartar sauce recipe goes with all the seafood dishes you can think of! First and foremost, I think it is the absolutely perfect sauce to serve with the best crab cakes. I cant get over that flavor combinationfresh crab, crispy batter, and creamy tartar sauce. Yum! But this sauce goes well with plenty of other dishes too.

Try out these seafood recipes with this homemade tartar sauce:

It would also taste so amazing with fish and chips or any battered fish recipe. I love crunchy fried fish dipped in tartar sauce!

More Sauces To Go With Fish And Other Seafoods:

• Mustard Sauce ideal for Florida stone crabs and great for crab or fish cakes.
• Classic Cocktail Sauce for shrimp cocktail or fried clam strips.
• Adriatic Sauce an herbal sauce that goes with grilled, sautéed or baked seafood.
• Garlic Aioli great with grilled or poached fish.
• Lobster Ravioli Sauce use this on store-bought lobster raviolis or with cooked shrimp and pasta.
• Pineapple Bourbon Glaze great on grilled seafood like fish, shrimp or calamari.
• As a last resort, just sprinkle your seafood with a bit of Old Bay always a classic!

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Chop The Pickles And Measure Ingredients

History lesson aside, let’s focus on actually making the sauce. First, finely dice the pickles, and if the dried dill has any longer strands in it, mince those, too. Then juice the lemon and portion out your ingredients.

Combine 1 cup of mayonnaise, the diced dill pickles, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of dried dill, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a small bowl.

Gather Your Ingredients For Simple Tartar Sauce

All you need for making about 10 servings of this classic sauce is a cup of mayonnaise, a couple of finely diced dill pickles, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a tablespoon of dried dill, and ½ teaspoon of salt. “There are two star ingredients,” says Musgrave. “The pickles and the dill give this the traditional tartar sauce taste.”

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What To Serve With Tartar Sauce

Skip store-bought sauce and serve it next to these easy homemade fish sticks, easy baked popcorn chicken, these perfectly roasted shrimp, or oven-baked salmon.

Tartar sauce is a must when making our .

I love to serve tartar sauce with roasted vegetables. I especially love dunking baked sweet potato fries or these oven-baked potato wedges into the sauce. Roasted cauliflower is also delicious.

Saltine Crackers Mayonnaise & Egg Make A Great Binder

Around here, fillers and extras are a no-no. All the menus promise no filler crab cakes. In all honestly, you do need a little bit of filler so they stay together. We go for the absolute minimum, which is a glue made from crushed saltine crackers, mayonnaise and one egg. It works beautifully.

We start by tossing the lump crab meat with the crushed crackers. The crackers absorb extra moisture from the crab.

Then, we make a mixture of mayonnaise , egg, mustard, and some Worcestershire sauce and add it to the crab and cracker mixture.

After a few stirs, the mixture is pretty loose. Thats why you see us sliding it into the refrigerator. We keep it in there for an hour or so. The crackers continue to absorb the liquid and that glue I was talking about earlier forms.

After some time in the refrigerator, you can easily form the cakes. We like using a 1/2-cup measure to make 6 generous cakes, but you can make them slightly smaller and make 8 or make them donut-hole size for mini crab balls.

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