A classic French Remoulade recipe that’s easy to make and is as versatile as it is delicious! Use this fabulous condiment for spreading, dipping, and tossing into a wide variety of dishes.
Remoulade sauce is a classic French cold sauce with mayonnaise as its base. It’s traditionally served with meats, fish, seafood, and as a dipping sauce.
This classic French rémoulade recipe comes together in just minutes and keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks. And don’t worry about it going to waste because there are SO many delicious ways you can use it! (see below)
Remoulade vs. Tartar Sauce vs. Aioli – What’s the Difference?
There is some considerable overlap between remoulade and tartar sauce and tartar sauce is considered a kind of remoulade. However there are some differences including a wider variety of herbs in remoulade (including tarragon), the traditional inclusion of anchovy (either in the form of anchovy essence or finely chopped fillets), and the addition of gherkins/cornichons in remoulade versus sweet pickles in tartar sauce. All in all, the two are pretty interchangeable though there are flavor differences in each you may wish to emphasize in specific dishes.
In contrast, aioli is typically much simpler (though many variations exist) and in its most basic form includes garlic, salt and pepper.
Besides French rémoulade there are two other variations: Louisiana remoulade (which incorporates Creole and Cajun influences and includes ingredients like celery, parsley, green onions, Creole mustard, and hot sauce), and Danish remoulade (which includes the additions of turmeric, finely chopped cauliflower, cucumber, and cabbage).
How To Use Remoulade
Remoulade sauce is very versatile and pairs well with a wide variety of dishes. It’s perfect for crab cakes, fried fish, po’ boy sandwiches, clams, shrimp, calamari, oysters, boiled lobster, chicken tenders, hushpuppies, French fries, oven roasted potatoes, zucchini fries, onion rings, fried dill pickles, fried green tomatoes, baked potatoes, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches, tuna salad, ham salad, egg salad, potato salad, or with a bag of potato chips!
How to Make Remoulade
Let’s get started!
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl along with the remaining ingredients.
Note: Nothing compares to the flavor of real French Dijon mustard. We strongly recommend using the Maille Dijon Mustard which is available in many countries outside of France.
Stir until the ingredients are fully combined.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For more homemade sauces from around the world be sure to try our:
- Bearnaise Sauce
- Hollandaise Sauce
- Jamaican Jerk Sauce
- Tartar Sauce
- Romesco Sauce
- Authentic Enchilada Sauce
- Bechamel Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Char Siu Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Ultimate BBQ Sauce

Classic French Remoulade
Ingredients
- 1 cup quality mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons finely minced cornichons
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed herbs (tarragon is traditional and highly recommended; additionally you can include parsley, chives, and chervil)
- 1 tablespoon very finely minced capers
- 1 tablespoon real French Dijon mustard , we recommend Maille
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- a few drops of anchovy essence , or one small very finely chopped anchovy fillet (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the mayonnaise in a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are fully combined. Cover and chill for at least a few hours before using. For the best flavor, let the sauce chill in the fridge for 24 hours before using to allow time for the flavors to fully meld. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Will keep up to 2 weeks.Makes a little over 1 cup.
hope mayes-anderson says
Fabulous
Kimberly Killebrew says
Thanks so much, Hope!
Laura Tiller says
Best remoulade sauce ever! Huge hit! Seems like a lot when you make but is the perfect amount…depending on how much everyone loves it, and they do!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Laura, I’m thrilled it was a hit!
Amanda Livesay says
We love this remoulade for po-boys!
Beth says
I love this sauce and so does my family! I definitely have a lot of recipes in mind this sauce would go with and I’m so excited to try it with them!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Beth, and I agree, it’s very versatile!
Beti says
Such a delicious remoulade!! I will be making this again and again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Beti, thank you!
katerina says
This was SO GOOD! Everyone loved it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Katerina, I’m happy it was a hit!
Catalina says
We love sauces! And it’s great to try a new recipe!
Vikki says
Very creamy and tasty! I have so many ideas for this versatile sauce
Jo says
So very good! Hehe I’ll make this again next week!
Linda says
How do you address the raw egg issue in making your own mayo? Once you’ve suffered from salmonella you don’t want to do that again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Linda, for peace of mind you can buy pasteurized eggs in the shell. There are also tutorials on how to pasteurize eggs yourself.
el says
Hi, putting all these nice things together and then wasting” it in mayo from the shelf is a pity in my eyes. Making your own mayo takes about 5-10 minutes and elevates your Remoulade to a new higher level.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I couldn’t agree more, el! :)