Homemade Tartar Sauce (Easy!)
This Homemade Tartar Sauce is adapted from a culinary school recipe. Big restaurant flavors, in a smaller, super easy-to-make recipe. Skip the store-bought sauce and instantly upgrade any seafood dish.
This Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe Is Great On . . . Everything!
Since I was a little kid, I’ve LOVED tartar sauce.
Obviously, the mayonnaise part is built into my Midwestern DNA. But add the pickles and the herbs and it just becomes such an A++ condiment. Of course, it’s perfect with fried fish, and 99% of my unabashed love for the Filet-O-Fish (guilty pleasure, please don’t judge) is simply the tartar sauce.
I also love tartar sauce as a dip for French fries, roasted potatoes, and heck, pretty much every other kind of roasted vegetable, too. It’s obviously amazing with all kinds of seafood dishes. Give it to me with grilled chicken, honestly. Tartar sauce all day, every day.
However, I find most jarred and bottled tartar sauces to be very underwhelming. They often have an “off” flavor to me that I can’t quite place. It’s probably just the fact that they’re made with all sorts of fillers and additives and frankly, just not good.
So, fellow tartar sauce lovers: let’s explore making some homemade tartar sauce, using the same recipe I was taught in culinary school (just scaled down for the home kitchen).
Why You Will Love This Tartar Sauce Recipe
- The tangy flavor complements the richness of fried fish so well!
- It’s adapted from a culinary school recipe, which means it has all the big flavors of a restaurant condiment.
- It keeps up to a week in the fridge.
What Is Tartar Sauce?
Tartar sauce is a creamy condiment typically served with seafood, especially fried fish. The base of the sauce is mayonnaise, with mix-ins like herbs, pickles and capers.
Why Is It Called Tartar Sauce?
The exact origin of the name “tartar sauce” is a little murky, but some believe it to be derived from the word “tartare,” which refers to a raw meat or fish dish.
Tartare is typically seasoned with herbs and capers, so over time, the name “tartar” was associated with the sauce that used these same ingredients, thus, “tartar sauce.”
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- mayonnaise – the creamy base of this tartar sauce recipe.
- chopped dill pickles – adds a crunchy texture and tangy flavor.
- chives – introduces a mild onion flavor without being overpowering.
- tarragon – infuses the sauce with a subtle anise-like flavor.
- capers – contributes a briny and tangy flavor to this recipe for tartar sauce.
- Dijon mustard – adds mild spiciness and depth of flavor.
- yellow mustard – enhances the tanginess.
- lemon juice – contributes a bright and citrusy flavor that balances the richness of the mayo.
- white vinegar – adds even more acidity.
- Worcestershire sauce – introduces umami and adds depth of flavor.
- cayenne and black pepper – adds just a bit of heat.
Tartar Sauce Recipe, Adapted From Culinary School
This recipe is adapted from the one in my culinary school textbook, with just a few changes to make it easier for the home cook.
I’ve substituted white vinegar for the white wine in the culinary school recipe, because who wants to open a bottle of white wine for 1 teaspoon? Not me!
I’ve also used Worcestershire sauce in place of the anchovy paste called for in the culinary school book. Personally, I love anchovy paste and it’s usually in my fridge, but I’m willing to bet that more people have Worcestershire sauce around. And since Worcestershire is made with anchovies, good enough!
One last change I made was to omit the chervil called for in the culinary school recipe. Chervil is hard to find at most grocery stores, and I don’t think it’s integral to this recipe for tartar sauce.
How To Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
1. STIR. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir until well combined.
2. CHILL. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving, or up to 1 week.
Home Chef Tips For Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Refrigerating for at least an hour before serving is key to allow the flavors to meld together for a more cohesive taste.
- Taste and adjust the sauce before serving to see if it needs more lemon juice or salt for your taste.
- Experiment with making it a bit spicy by adding a few dashes of hot sauce.
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How To Serve This Recipe For Tartar Sauce
While we typically associate tartar sauce only with fried fish, it’s actually a pretty versatile condiment if you open your mind to the possibilities. Think about the ingredients – mayo, herbs, pickles, capers – and what other types of dishes those ingredients might pair with. Some ideas to get you started:
- Fried coconut shrimp and air fryer popcorn shrimp
- Seafood cakes, like canned salmon patties and salmon cakes with fresh salmon
- Fish tacos
- A salmon sandwich or salmon burger
- Oven fries or crispy roast potatoes
- Fried fish, of course!
Storing Homemade Tartar Sauce
How Long Does Tartar Sauce Last?
It will keep as long as the individual components stay fresh. If you start with nice fresh herbs, the prepared tartar sauce should keep about one week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Can You Put Tartar Sauce In The Freezer?
You CAN, but I really don’t want you to, to be honest. Tartar sauce is best stored in the refrigerator rather than the freezer. Freezing tartar sauce may cause it to separate and become watery when thawed, so I don’t recommend it.
Tartar Sauce Recipe FAQ
Traditional tartar sauce is usually made with a base of mayonnaise combined with chopped pickles, herbs, capers, lemon juice, and sometimes Dijon mustard and onions. Exact ingredients and proportions vary based on regional and personal preferences.
Cream of tartar is a powdery white substance used for baking. It helps whipped egg whites hold their shape, and is often used to make French macarons. Tartar sauce is a creamy condiment generally served with seafood.
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they can have slight differences based on the region they are served in. Tartar sauce typically consists of mayo, pickles, capers and herbs. Tartare sauce is a sauce commonly served with steak tartare, and is similar but may have a different proportion of ingredients.
When eating rich, heavy foods like fried fish, our taste buds crave something light and acidic to balance that richness. The tanginess of tartar sauce adds a burst of acidic flavor to the fish, creating a delightful balance.
I remembered that my culinary school made a delicious tartar sauce to serve with fish and crab cakes, so I dug out my old textbooks. But I noticed the recipe is technically for remoulade sauce.
However, after much research on the difference between tartar sauce and remoulade sauce, I’ve come to the conclusion that the lines are very blurred.
Some sources say that remoulade sauce contains more herbs, but then a lot of tartar sauce recipes have herbs, too.
Both sauces usually contain mayonnaise, pickles and capers. Some sources even say that tartar sauce is a TYPE of remoulade.
Truthfully, I’m a bit confused, and I’m referring to this sauce as a tartar sauce, because I had to choose one or the other.
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Homemade Tartar Sauce (Easy)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickle
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons capers drained and chopped
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- Pinch cayenne
- Pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to medium bowl and stir until well combined.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving, or up to 1 week.
Sounds great. Can you please tell us how much of each ingredient to use? Thanks.
Hi Marie – there’s a recipe box with exact amounts towards the end of the post.