Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
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If fried seafood is on the menu, make sure you serve it with a generous creamy dollop of my homemade tartar sauce recipe, to bring rich, tangy flavor and a smidge of heat to every crispy mouthful.
Tartar Sauce Recipe
Tartar sauce has been the go-to dip for fried seafood for generations, especially in the UK. My husband would always get it with fish and chips growing up as a kid, but very few chip shops would make their own, and instead serve the fish with a gooey plastic packet.
I’m going to show you in this recipe how easy it is to make your very own tartar sauce, which you can slather on any fried delights you make at home, or bring back from a chip shop or takeaway restaurant.
What is Tartar Sauce?
French by origin, but especially synonymous with British cuisine and other places in the Commonwealth such as Australia and New Zealand, where’s it known as tartare sauce, tartar sauce is essentially a dip or condiment.
It is typically served with fried seafood dishes, arguably the most iconic being the British fish and chips. However, it also enjoyed with battered calamari, fried oysters, and other battered or breaded seafood dishes.
What is traditional tartar sauce made of?
Well, it is country-dependent, but generally will consist of some type of mayonnaise (or even aioli) mixed with acidic ingredients and herbs. In the UK, this is most commonly chopped pickles or gherkins, capers, lemon juice, and dill, among other ingredients, such as mustard.
Herbs like parsley and tarragon, onion, chives, and even chopped egg, can be found in variations of tartare sauce in the likes of the US.
Recipe Ingredients
To make my homemade tartar sauce, you’ll first need the following ingredients:
- Mayonnaise – 1/2 cup mayo
- Shallot – 1/2 small shallot
- Cornichons – 6-7 small cornichons (about 2 tbsp when chopped)
- Capers – 1 tbsp capers, chopped
- Parsley – handful (about 1 tbsp when chopped) fresh parsley
- Salt – 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Mustard – 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- Lemon Juice – 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Chop the shallot, capers, cornichons, and parsley.
Step 2 – Mix all the ingredients together (mayo, chopped shallot, chopped capers, chopped cornichons, chopped parsley, mustard, lemon juice, and salt) until well-combined.
Step 3 – Serve in a small bowl on the side of the main (such as fish and chips).
What to Serve with Tartar Sauce
Battered Fish and Chips – Naturally, we start with the classic pairing. Not only can you use it for the battered fish, but you can definitely dip your piping hot chips in it too!
Breaded Fish – Tartar makes for a great dunking sauce for breaded fish, like fish fingers, or dolloped on the bun of a fish finger sandwich.
Fried Shrimp – Especially if you’re serving them on a platter as part of a larger spread, tartar sauce can be the ideal dip to go alongside them.
Grilled/Breaded Chicken – The fun doesn’t have to stop at fried seafood. The creamy tang of tartar makes for a great pairing with chicken, in a wrap or as a side with chips and salad.
Barbecued Meats – Tartar sauce can be a great side to have on-hand when firing up the grill, and can be dolloped on hamburgers, sausages, and lots of grilled meat.
Can you eat tartar sauce cold?
You absolutely can, and it can also be served at room temperature. I personally prefer my tartar sauce chilled so that it compliments a searing hot battered cod and hot, crispy chips.
Tartar Sauce Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise
- 1/2 small shallot
- 6-7 small cornichons about 2 tbsp when chopped
- 1 tbsp capers chopped
- handful about 1 tbsp when chopped of fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Chop the shallot, capers, cornichons, and parsley.
- Mix all the ingredients together (mayo, chopped shallot, chopped capers, chopped cornichons, chopped parsley, mustard, lemon juice, and salt) until well combined.
- Serve in a small bowl on the side of the main (such as fish and chips).
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Save and Pin for Later
Planning a seafood night for friends and family? Or maybe you’re going to the local chip shop for some lovely battered cod? In any case, keep this recipe for safekeeping, so that you can mix up a batch of tartar sauce ready for everyone to get dipping.
