Homemade Tartar Sauce | The Modern Proper (2024)

October 5, 2023

Creamy mayonnaise, a hint of brininess from a jar of pickles, a touch of citrus, and a blend of seasoning is all you need to make a fresh batch of homemade tartar sauce.

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Photography by Gayle McLeod

Homemade Tartar Sauce is Good on Everything!

A Quick Tartar Sauce For When You Don’t Have Store-Bought

Making scratch tartar sauce is easy. It’s one of those condiments that we sometimes don’t have in the fridge, but it’s quick enough to whip up a batch when you need it. Tartar sauce is great for seafood, especially fried fish, because it’s creamy and bright and complements the flavor of seafood. We like to serve it with Beer Battered Fish, atop a Salmon Burger, or Spicy Fish Tacos.

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Tartar Sauce Ingredients

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How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce

  1. Cut the dill pickle. This is a good time to practice your knife skills!

  2. Squeeze a lemon.

  3. Measure and combine the mayonnaise, pickles, pickle juice, lemon juice, Old Bay, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, dill, and cayenne in a small bowl.

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How to Store Tartar Sauce + Tips

  • Can you freeze tartar sauce? It’s not the best sauce to freeze because mayonnaise “breaks” when it is frozen. Instead, store leftover tartar sauce in the fridge for up to a week.

  • Get creative with leftover tartar sauce. It’s not just for fish! It can be stirred into Classic Potato Salad instead of plain mayonnaise or spooned onto roasted veggies like Roasted Asparagus.

  • Thinned out with a little extra pickle juice and milk water, it becomes a salad dressing maybe for using on our Shrimp Louie salad!

Get (Tarter) Saucy!

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Homemade Tartar Sauce | The Modern Proper (2024)

FAQs

How to make Gordon Ramsay's tartar sauce? ›

Gordon Ramsay Tartar Sauce
  1. Condiments.
  2. • 1 tbsp Capers.
  3. • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard.
  4. • 1 Dill pickle, small.
  5. • 1 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh.
  6. • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise.
  7. • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

What are the ingredients of tartar sauce? ›

Wondering what's in tartar sauce? It's typically made with mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, lemon juice, and herbs (like tarragon and dill). There are also a handful of optional ingredients you can add that take the tartar sauce's flavor to the next level. For example, this recipe includes yellow mustard.

Is homemade tartar sauce better than store-bought? ›

This easy tartar sauce is quick to make and flavorful, making it better than store-bought tartar sauce. You probably already have most of the ingredients you need to make it in your kitchen. We love this sauce served next to poached salmon, homemade fish sticks, and our favorite crab cakes.

Why do you put cream of tartar in tartar sauce? ›

In reality, the two have nothing to do with one another. Cream of tartar is a powdery baking ingredient that you'd find in sweets like cookies or meringues. Tartar sauce, on the other hand, is super savory, rich, and tangy.

How long will homemade tartar sauce keep? ›

Tartar sauce should be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about a week. Obviously, if it starts to smell funky in the fridge or the flavor is off before the week is up, you should dump it. Similar to other mayonnaise-based condiments, tartar sauce does not freeze well because the emulsion can break.

What are the ingredients in Trader Joe's tartar sauce? ›

Expeller pressed canola oil, water, relish (cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, dried red bell pepper, xanthan gum, spices, natural flavors), cane sugar, distilled vinegar, egg yolks (egg yolks, salt), dried onion, salt, ground mustard seed, xanthan gum, extra virgin olive oil, rosemary ...

What is a good substitute for tartar sauce? ›

Instead of tartar sauce, use a garlicky aioli with or without a little dill or chopped pickle. Another good sauce option that goes well with seafood is a tomato-based co*cktail sauce. Hummus, which is also slightly acidic with lemon juice, can also make a nice dip for seafood.

How do you thicken tartar sauce? ›

Add Sour Cream For A Thicker, Tangier Tartar Sauce

By adjusting the amount of sour cream you can customize the sauce. Start by adding one or two dollops at a time and incorporate more until you discover the perfect portion.

What is Cajun tartar sauce made of? ›

Cajun Tartar Sauce:

In a bowl stir tegether the mayonnaise, sweet picle, green onion, parsley, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce. Served with fried fish and seafood. Makes 1 1/4 cup of sauce.

What is McDonald's tartar sauce made of? ›

Tartar Sauce

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Pickle Relish (diced Pickles, Vinegar, Salt, Capers, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate [preservative], Calcium Chloride, Spice Extractives, Polysorbate 80), Egg Yolks, Water, Onions, Distilled Vinegar, Sugar, Spice, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Parsley.

What's a good brand of tartar sauce? ›

Top Store-Bought Tartar Sauces

Duke's Tartar Sauce: Duke's tartar sauce is praised for its homemade taste and chunky texture. With a tangy and zesty flavor profile, it adds a delightful kick to fish and chips. Kraft Tartar Sauce: Kraft's tartar sauce is lauded for its smooth and creamy consistency.

What should tartar sauce taste like? ›

A good tartar sauce needs not just plain sweetness or acidity, but a balance of both. Too much sugar with no acid and it comes off as cloying. There should be plenty of pickle-y bits inside the mayonnaise base, packed with crunch and texture. Soft, squishy pickles or mayo that's too gloppy or greasy are unacceptable.

What is traditional tartar sauce made of? ›

Whisk shallot, garlic, mayonnaise, caper berries, pickles, chives, parsley, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and whole grain mustard in a small bowl until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Do Ahead: Tartar sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

What is a substitute for 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar? ›

This substitution is ideal because it can be used in any recipe without modifying the taste or texture of the final product. You can use baking powder to replace cream of tartar in recipes that also contain baking soda. Substitute 1.5 teaspoons (6 grams) of baking powder for 1 teaspoon (3.5 grams) of cream of tartar.

Why does tartar sauce taste so good? ›

It typically has a creamy and tangy profile with ingredients like mayonnaise, pickles, capers, onions, and lemon juice. These elements add a combination of creaminess, acidity, and a hint of sweetness that complements the mild and delicate flavor of fish.

How does Gordon Ramsay make batter for fish? ›

Cooking instructions
  1. In a large bowl, mix both flours, baking powder and sugar.
  2. Add soda water, lager and salt.
  3. Mix together only until the batter binds together and is smooth. ...
  4. Cover your fish with a dusting of plain flour, then drop into the batter and coat completely.
  5. Pre-heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 180C.

What is the difference between tartar sauce and tartare sauce? ›

Tartar sauce (French: sauce tartare; spelled tartare sauce in the UK, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries) is a condiment made of mayonnaise, chopped pickles and relish, caper, and herbs such as tarragon and dill.

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