Tartar sauce is such a popular condiment that it’s hard to imagine enjoying fried foods – fried seafood in particular – without it! This homemade tartar sauce recipe packs such a delicious flavor, it’s simply the BEST!
Tartar sauce, from the French sauce tartare, has become such a staple condiment that’s enjoyed in many parts of the world. It’s easy to whip up on demand because it uses ingredients you likely already have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator.
What Ingredients Are in the Best Tartar Sauce?
For a truly great tartar sauce we need to achieve that perfect balance of piquancy without it being too tart or too sweet. Â For that reason I like to supplement some of the mayonnaise with creme fraiche or sour cream for a lighter, fresher flavor and texture along with fresh lemon juice; I also use dill pickles instead of sweet bread-and-butter pickles to avoid the too-sweet flavor you often find in fast food/takeout tartar sauces.
Another great choice is cornichons, which provide an even crunchier texture than dill pickles. Â The capers provide that perfect touch of brininess, the Dijon mellows it out a touch, and the parsley adds a hint of fresh pepperiness. Â You can also add some fresh chopped dill which pairs superbly with fried fish.
Some other ingredients I like to add on occasion to change things up are finely chopped olives and/or a touch of horseradish. Experiment and find the combination that you like best.
How To Use Tartar Sauce
This tartar sauce is deliciously versatile. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Fried fish, Clams, Shrimp, Calamari and Oysters
- Boiled lobster
- Chicken tenders
- Hushpuppies
- French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Potato Wedges
- Oven roasted potatoes and baked potatoes
- Zucchini fries
- Onion rings
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Hamburgers and sandwiches
- Use some in your tuna salad, ham salad, and egg salad
- Serve it with potato chips!
And serve this with our BEST Classic Fish Cakes!
Tartar Sauce Recipe
To make this tartar sauce all you do is:
- Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Cover and let the sauce chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. Â The longer the better because the flavors will intensify.
That’s it! Enjoy!
For more delicious homemade sauce recipes be sure to try our:
- Bearnaise Sauce
- Jerk Sauce
- Enchilada Sauce
- Bechamel Sauce
- Hollandaise Sauce
- Romesco Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Eel Sauce
- Cocktail Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Char Siu Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Best BBQ Sauce
BEST Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
- 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles (use cornichons for more crunch or bread and butter pickles if you prefer it sweeter)
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed/drained and roughly chopped
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (fresh dill is also a great option for seafood)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped olives (optional)
- 1 teaspoon horseradish (optional)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving. The longer the better as the flavors improve over time.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet August 20, 2017
Karen M. says
A friend of mine made the other night, and we had it with fried catfish. It’s the best we’ve ever had! Now my son wants us to make it at home for french fries – and maybe a little fish. Question: what kind of olives would you put in? Black, green, stuffed green, kalamata? Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Karen, thank you so much for that feedback! For the olives, green are more typical, even pimento-stuffed ones. But if you prefer a milder flavor you can use black instead. Thanks again!
Scott says
Great Tartar sauce! I always substitute a heaping teaspoon of dry mustard for the horseradish and forgo the regular mustard.
Nothing better on freshly caught Walleye.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thanks so much, Scott!
Marci says
Hello can vinegar be replaced Instead of lemon?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Marci, vinegar is going to give it a harsher flavor. You “can” replace it with vinegar but I strongly recommend sticking to the lemon.
Lurl says
Using Asian vinegar a small amount acts as a preservative, Just enough for a boost without a sour note.
Julianne G. says
Hands down the best tarter sauce I’ve ever had at home or in a restaurant. Wow!
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thank you so much, Julianne! :)
Lynn B. says
Sounds great, making it for my salmon tonight!
Adriana says
Thanks for the great recipe. I have to say the tartar sauce was the star of the show. Outstanding!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m thrilled to hear that, Adriana, thank you so much!
Julianne Gatewood says
Okay, this was absolutely amazing. Best tartar sauce I’ve ever had—in a jar, homemade, or in a restaurant. WOW!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Julianne, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Anna says
Finally, a tartar sauce recipe I can get excited about. This was fantastic–a keeper, so I’ll never need to Google up a new recipe for this again. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Anna, thank you so much!
Flynn says
Very good, but it wasn’t ‘tart’ enough (and it IS ‘tarter’ sauce after all)
I added 1/4 teas of citric acid and it was perfect!
Bryan says
Wanted a great tartar sauce recipe, so I searched to see if you had one first (like I do for any recipe) and knew this was going to be good, but this was over the top scrumptious! Can’t believe people still quibble with you, esp. the ones about “too many ingredients.” Do you want a mediocre sauce or perfection, folks? Can’t thank you enough for sharing your recipes with us!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You are awesome, Bryan, as always :) So glad you enjoyed this, thank you!
linda says
Excelent !!
Marla says
Love this recipe! I made it with all of the extras except the hot sauce and substituted dill for the parsley. How long will this keep in the fridge?
Anonymous says
Just found your recipe. Headed to store. Would love to know how you make those great looking onion rings as well.
Anonymous says
To many ingredients all you need is
Mayo
Onion
Sweet relish
Lemon
Pepper
Best tarter sauce ever
NC Home Chef says
I agree!! . . .
Tasty but, flavor was overwhelming on mild fish! & why add mustard unless your making tuna fish or egg salad ?
My go to tartar sauce is made w/: the
1/2 tbsp.Capers chopped,
1/2 tsp.Mrs. Dash,
squirt of fresh Lemon,
touch of crushed dried dill,
1/3 cup Mayo
& an occasional grn. onion(snipped for a mild onion flavor).
Yummy 😋 ((less is more))
Sylvie Bouchard Groulx says
So you say!🙄 Why are people thinking they do better than Chefs. Why do they even bother trying Chefs recipes and wasting our time by being so slanderous. Start your own blog and leave this one!
Sandy Donais says
I agree , the amount of ingredients is crazy, But, we can make it ,or not, right? She does have a ton of other recipes that sound great though. (No offense)! SANDY
Mollie says
in your not-so-humble opinion. did you try this one or just criticize? it’s amazing!
Jacquelyn Hastert says
I can’t wait to fry some fish up and make this tarter sauce. We love fried fish and it’s perfect during the summer.