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    Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

    Published February 25, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Learn how easy it is to make a delicious homemade tartar sauce recipe that goes excellent with any seafood dish.  Whether you put it on Salmon Cakes or serve it up with Shrimp Boil, it’s super simple to prepare and always tasty.

    This is actually one of the first things I ever learned to make way back in my restaurant days when I was barely a teenager.  It’s my go-to sauce for all things fish and is always a favorite sauce whenever it’s served up, and not-too-mention you can make it under 5 minutes.

    jar of homemade tartar sauce with a spoon

    Tartar Sauce

    This is a very simple mayonnaise-based condiment that originated in France and is most often served with seafood.

    What’s in It

    Here are the simple tartar sauce ingredients which you may already have in your house.

    • Mayonnaise
    • Onions
    • Capers
    • Pickles
    • Parsley
    • Salt and Pepper

    In addition to these few things, you can also add in dill, lemon juice, garlic or tobasco sauce to further enhance the flavor of it.

    How to Make Tartar Sauce

    Start by small dicing some small yellow onions.

    small dicing onions on a cutting board

    Finely chop some capers.

    finely chopping capers

    Small dice some dill pickles.

    small dicing homemade dill pickles

    Add the onions, capers, pickles, mayonnaise, parsley, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix.  Simple as that.

    chopped tartar sauce ingredients in bowl

    Is There a Substitute for It

    There is no perfect substitute for it but there are some healthier options.  Simply replace the mayonnaise with any of these:

    • Low Fat Mayonnaise
    • Non-Fat Yogurt
    • Low Fat Sour Cream

    It does alter the flavor of the overall sauce, but if I did it this way I’d just add in a bit more of everything else to help bring about those flavors.

    What to Serve It With

    There are tons of great dishes to serve up this tartar sauce with, and here are a few of my favorites:

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    How To Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.  This does not freeze well so don’t attempt it.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    chef notes + tips

    • In place of the yellow onions in the sauce, you can sub for red onions, shallots or sweet onions.
    • My suggestion is to keep this recipe as simple as possible because you want to use it to compliment the seafood, not mask it.
    • The brine from the capers and pickles provides plenty of acid to the sauce, so there is no need for lemon juice.
    homemade tartar sauce with lemon

    More Sauce Recipes

    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

    5 from 10 votes
    Learn how easy it is to make a delicious homemade tartar sauce recipe that goes excellent with any seafood dish.
    Servings: 16 servings
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • ¼ cup small diced yellow onions
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped capers
    • 1/3 cup small-diced dill pickles
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
    • Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined.
    • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

    Notes

    Chef Notes:
    • How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. This does not freeze well so don’t attempt it.
    • In place of the yellow onions in the sauce you can sub for red onions, shallots or sweet onions.
    • My suggestion is to keep this recipe as simple as possible because you want to use it to compliment the seafood, not mask it.
    • The brine from the capers and pickles provides plenty of acid to the sauce, so there is no need for lemon juice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 143mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 57IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg
    Course: condiment, sauce, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, english, French

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