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Recipe Index » Ingredients » Seafood » Homemade Tartar Sauce

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Published by Meaghan on June 23, 2014 | last updated on May 16, 2018.

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There’s not a lot you can say about tartar sauce, other than it tastes pretty darn good on most seafood. This Homemade Tartar Sauce is smooth, creamy with a heaping helping of fresh dill and an extra boost from a little dill pickle relish.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is a must have at virtually any meal where you serve seafood. The store bought version though can often be a bit of a let down. Keep the recipe for this quick & easy homemade version on hand, and not only will you never be disappointed, but your guests won’t ever be either!

It’s no newcomer to culinary history either—it’s been found in cookbooks since the early 19th century. We can best base it’s origins off of a Turkish sauce known by tarator. Tarator almost always accompanied fried seafood, but unlike traditional ‘tartar’ sauce, it was tahini based (a paste made of ground sesame seeds), but creamy and tangy just like the version we know now.

Today’s version, our Homemade Tartar Sauce is a bit more modern- by both of those standards. It has a mayonnaise base and, as is the modern tradition, mixed with a dill pickle relish- or even just minced dill pickles.

Homemade Tartar Sauce 3

While it tastes great on fancy cuts of expensive fish fillets, it tastes just as good on a deep fried fish stick.

The sons may prefer to slather theirs in ketchup (blech!), but pass me the tartar sauce please.

Since the hubs and I are the only ones who eat it, we were never using a full bottle before the expiration date and since throwing things out/wasting food gives me migraines & makes me twitch, I decided to stop buying it.

It’s so much easier to just mix up a little myself, as needed,  an hour before dinner. Bonus points, because this version tastes so yummy- that guests have a hard time wrapping their heads around it being something I whipped up last minute vs. something I bought in the gourmet section at a high end grocer’s.

Homemade Tartar Sauce 2

This simple recipe is perfect for dressing up your next fish dish, whether it be for your fried catfish, grilled fish, crab cakes, tuna cakes, or birthday cakes!

Just kidding about the birthday cakes, I think. But totally not judging if you’re into trying that.

Other sauce recipes you might enjoy: White Barbecue Sauce, Red Enchilada Sauce, Tzatziki Sauce, and Homemade Marinara Sauce.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

With just a few simple ingredients you probably have on hand, you can whip up your own batch of this dill-ed condiment in a snap!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup quality mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 to 3 tbsp finely chopped dill pickle or dill pickle relish
  • 1 tsp. dried dill weed
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

  • Add all the ingredients to a bowl, whisking until completely incorporated & smooth. 
  • Refrigerate, for at least an hour, before using.
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @4sonsrus or tag #4sonsrus!

 

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Hi! I’m Meaghan

Welcome to my kitchen. Pull up a chair and get ready to dig into family friendly, easy recipes and meal ideas. I’m a self proclaimed, proud pickle snob and cheese lover. Aside from that, I’m also the mom to 4 busy boys, elementary school through college aged. My boys keep my husband and I busy, and boy, do they like to eat. A lot. Read more...

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Comments

  1. Stephanie @ The Cozy Cook says

    June 23, 2014 at 10:17 am

    I hateeee wasting too!!!! This looks really good, now I want a fish stick! Haha:)

    Reply
    • 4 Sons 'R' Us says

      June 24, 2014 at 3:24 pm

      Thanks, Stephanie! Posting it put us in the mood for fish sticks too. Guess what was for lunch? 😉

      Reply
  2. jacquigourlay says

    June 24, 2014 at 2:29 am

    I just love tartare sauce too and hate to waste food! Will need to try this version. Thanks

    Reply
    • 4 Sons 'R' Us says

      June 24, 2014 at 3:25 pm

      Saving is a beautiful AND tasty thing, isn’t it? Let me know what you think!

      Reply
  3. Stephanie says

    June 28, 2014 at 11:32 pm

    I love tartar sauce! My mom used to make one very similar to this when I was growing up and I always used way too much with my fish sticks because I loved it so much! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    February 10, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    How long will this keep in the fridge?

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      February 10, 2017 at 10:02 pm

      In a sealed container, it should keep up to two weeks.

      Reply
  5. Anita says

    April 3, 2018 at 11:41 am

    Can I use fresh dill instead of dill seed ?

    Reply
    • 4sonsrus says

      April 3, 2018 at 3:09 pm

      I use dried in this recipe, but you can easily use fresh. I’d start with the same amount of fresh and then taste and go from there.

      Reply
  6. Diane says

    April 6, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    We love this recipe, this is the second time I have made it, can’t wait to eat! Thanks.

    Reply
  7. Rick Bryant says

    August 4, 2018 at 11:40 am

    Great tartar sauce, as a variation I add a couple of heaping tablespoons of sour cream to it. Try it, you will like it!

    Reply

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Welcome to 4 Sons ‘R’ Us

Hi! I’m Meaghan. Welcome to my kitchen. Pull up a chair and get ready to dig into family friendly, easy recipes and meal ideas.

I’m a self proclaimed, proud pickle snob and cheese lover. Aside from that, I’m also the mom to 4 busy boys, elementary school through college aged. My boys keep my husband and I busy, and boy, do they like to eat. A lot.

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