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Wonderfully creamy and with the perfect hint of sour, this easy homemade tartar sauce recipe is a go-to dipping sauce for seafood dishes.
When a quick tartar sauce is this easy to make, you’ll never need to buy it from the store again. Made with less than 10 pantry staples, it’s the perfect dipping sauce for fish and has the perfect amount of acidity to bring out the natural flavor of your food. Tangy and rich, it’s so quick to make and easily stored in your refrigerator so you can include it not just on fish night, but on a variety of different dishes throughout the week.
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Tartar sauce ingredients
- Mayonnaise: For creaminess, I use full-fat standard mayo – you can make your own or buy from the grocery store. You can replace it with a lighter mayo, or a plant-based mayonnaise if needed.
- Dill Pickle: Diced into small pieces.
- Onion: White onion is best as it’ll add extra sweetness.
- Fresh Dill
- Lemon Juice
- Sugar
- Black Pepper
How to make tartar sauce
Add the mayonnaise to a large bowl, then stir in the dill pickle, onion, dill, lemon juice, sugar, and pepper. Mix well until completely combined and voila! How easy is that?
Can tartar sauce be made in advance
Tartar sauce tastes better if made in advance, allowing the flavors of the ingredients to meld together. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. I don’t recommend freezing as it can make the sauce mushy.
Uses for tartar sauce
- Fish and Chips: The classic serving of tartar sauce is alongside fish – battered and fried and, if you’re in the UK, you’ll most frequently find it next to battered fish (usually cod, plaice, or haddock) and crispy chips.
- Seafood Tacos and Grilled/Fried Fish: Use for dipping or as a condiment for fish tacos or serve alongside my Chilean Sea Bass, Cod, or Tuna Steak.
- Grilled or Roasted Veggies: Add tartar sauce for more taste in a classic potato salad or drizzle over roasted cauliflower and broccoli.
- Sandwiches: Use in place of mayo or even butter to add a tangy flavor to your favorite sandwiches – try it with lox bagels, tuna salad sandwiches or even to add a punch of flavor to a simple grilled cheese.
More easy sauces
- Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
- Authentic Greek Tzatziki
- Homemade Chipotle Sauce
- No-Fail Creamy Hollandaise Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
If you try this easy tartar sauce recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Easy Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 1 cup dill pickles diced
- 1 Tbsp dill
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise to a large bowl, then stir in the dill pickle, onion, dill, lemon juice, sugar and pepper. Mix well until completely combined.
- Once ready, allow some time for the ingredients and flavors to meld together (30 minutes or so) before serving.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
