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    Home » Recipes » Sauces for Fish and Seafood

    Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

    Published: Jul 16, 2022 Modified: Jul 15, 2022 by Isabel Laessig

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    My easy homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe is the perfect pairing for any of your favorite seafood dishes! I use fresh and simple ingredients to create an extra creamy sauce you will love making at home. Plus, my recipe for tartar sauce is ready to enjoy in just under 10 minutes!

    tartar sauce on a spoon
    Jump to:
    • Best Tartar Sauce Recipe
    • Making Tartar Sauce FAQs
    • What is in tartar sauce?
    • How to Make Tartar Sauce
    • Recipe Tips
    • How to Store Tartar Sauce
    • What to Serve with Tartar Sauce
    • More Easy Sauce Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📖 Recipe

    Best Tartar Sauce Recipe

    Whether you are frying a fresh catch or serving up fish sticks for your kids, my homemade tartar sauce is exactly what you need for the perfect meal! There are so many uses for homemade tartar sauce; from crab cakes to grilled shrimp, this is a versatile sauce you will love to have on hand.

    The best part about this recipe is how easily it comes together: simply chop a few ingredients and mix them together in a bowl! This velvety tartar sauce perfectly coats whatever you decide to serve with it, and is so delicious.

    My secret to a traditional tartar sauce recipe is the pickles! Pickles add just the right amount of zesty flavor, which cuts through the richness of the outside batter.

    Don't forget, you can also use this sauce as a dressing, condiment, or vegetable dipping sauce!

    tartar sauce in a little metal bowl with a pickle and fish

    Making Tartar Sauce FAQs

    What is tartar sauce?

    Tartar sauce is a creamy white sauce made from mayonnaise and herbs, with notes of dill, lemon juice, capers, and spices.

    Can I freeze tartar sauce?

    As tartar sauce is a mayonnaise-based sauce, it does not freeze well, as the sauce could separate in the process. Good news is, there usually isn't much of this sauce left over!

    Is tartar sauce gluten-free?

    My recipe for homemade tartar sauce is a naturally gluten and grain-free sauce. As always, be sure to check each ingredient for specific food handling and allergy information.

    Is tartar sauce the same as horseradish?

    Though both tartar and horseradish sauce are creamy, mayonnaise-based sauces, they are not the same. Horseradish sauce is very sharp and pungent with a slightly spicy flavor. Traditional tartar sauce uses fresh dill, which is mild in flavor.

    What is in tartar sauce?

    • Mayonnaise
    • Dill pickles
    • Fresh Dill
    • Parsley
    • Lemon Juice
    • Sugar
    • Black pepper

    My tartar sauce recipe contains the perfect blend of ingredients for a balanced, flavorful sauce recipe you will love serving with fish of all kinds. Follow my steps for how to make tartar sauce for fish fillets, crab cakes, fish sticks, and more - I guarantee you will love this easy sauce recipe!

    tartar sauce ingredients on a white surface

    How to Make Tartar Sauce

    1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and sugar. Whisk until sugar has dissolved slightly.
      tartar sauce ingredients in a bowl
    2. Add remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated.
      tartar sauce mixed in a bowl
    3. Serve immediately or place into a container and store in the refrigerator.
    tartar sauce in a jar

    Recipe Tips

    • If you like your tartar sauce more on the tart side, add more pickles and lemon juice.
    • As a preference, you can add pickle juice to tartar sauce to thin it.
    • For differently variations of tartar sauce, try adding ingredients like finely chopped onions, capers, thyme, cayenne pepper, or paprika.
    • For a sweeter tartar sauce, try using bread and butter pickles!
    tartar sauce in a red bowl next to a plate of fried fish

    How to Store Tartar Sauce

    Store tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. After it's made, homemade tartar sauce is best when left in the fridge for up to one week.

    I like to store my homemade tartar sauce in a covered mason jar, which fits perfectly on the shelves in the fridge!

    What to Serve with Tartar Sauce

    Of course, so many people love the classic combination of tartar sauce with fresh fish and chips, or fish sticks (my kids love homemade tartar sauce with fish sticks)!

    But there are so many wonderful ways to serve this sauce - here are a few of my favorites:

    • Pan Seared Crab or Salmon Cakes
    • Grilled Shrimp Skewers
    • With a Baked Potato
    • Dipping Sauce for Vegetable Platters
    • Sauce for a Fried Fish Sandwich
    • As a Topping for any Fried, Grilled, or Roasted Fish Fillets
    • Dipping Sauce for Pinwheels
    tartar sauce served with a plate of fried fish

    More Easy Sauce Recipes

    Try even more of my best easy sauce recipes:

    • Yum Yum Sauce
    • Garlic Lemon Aioli
    • Dijon Mustard Sauce
    • Creamy Dipping Sauce
    • Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

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    📖 Recipe

    tartar sauce in a jar with a spoon

    Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce

    Isabel Laessig
    Learn how to make tartar sauce to use with your favorite seafood recipes, from fish fillets, to fish sticks, crab cakes, and more!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine American
    Servings 2 cups
    Calories 774 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Whisk
    • 1 medium-sized mixing bowl

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • ¾ cup finely chopped dill pickles
    • 1 tablespoon dill finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon sugar
    • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, lemon juice, and sugar. Whisk until sugar has dissolved slightly.
      tartar sauce ingredients in a bowl
    • Add remaining ingredients and mix until incorporated.
      tartar sauce mixed in a bowl
    • Serve immediately or place into a container and store in the refrigerator.
      tartar sauce in a jar

    Notes

    • If you like your tartar sauce more on the tart side, add more pickles and lemon juice.
    • As a preference, you can add pickle juice to tartar sauce to thin it.
    • For differently variations of tartar sauce, try adding ingredients like finely chopped onions, capers, thyme, cayenne pepper, or paprika.
    • For a sweeter tartar sauce, try using bread and butter pickles!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 774kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 84gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 50gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 1146mgPotassium: 101mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 356IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword easy tartar sauce recipe, homemade tartar sauce, tartar sauce, tartar sauce recipe
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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and hosts Family Foodie Friday on WTSP's Great Day Tampa Bay along with other television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

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