Homemade Tartar Sauce
Homemade tartar sauce is a smooth creamy dip with heaping helping of fresh dill and an extra boost from a little dill pickle relish. It pairs perfectly with all of your favorite seafood and tastes so much better than store bought tartar sauce.
Tartar sauce is a must whenever you serve seafood.
The store bought version though can often be a bit of a let down.
This homemade version will never disappoint and level up any seafood dinner.
What is traditional tartar sauce made of?
Tartar sauce as we know it today is a creamy mayonnaise based sauce loaded with pickle relish, lemon juice, and herbs.
But as it is written in Turkish cookbooks from the the early 19th century, when it was known as tarator sauce, it was tahini based but included ingredients to make it creamy and tangy like the sauce we know now.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise– Use real, full fat mayonnaise and make sure it’s a good quality brand like Hellman’s or Duke’s.
- Lemon Juice– Fresh is best
- Dill Pickle or Dill Pickle Relish– If you use a dill pickle, make sure you chop it finely.
- Seasonings– Dried dill and black pepper
How to Make
This homemade tartar sauce is so easy to make!
All you need to do is add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together until they are completely incorporated and smooth.
Then cover it and pop it into the fridge for an hour before using.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Homemade Tartar Sauce
Transfer any leftover homemade tartar sauce into an airtight container or jar and store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Can I freeze tartar sauce?
Yes.
You can transfer any of your leftover tartar sauce into an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
Tartar sauce pairs well with any seafood.
We like to serve it with fried shrimp and fish.
It also makes a good sauce on:
Tips and Tricks
- Quality mayonnaise is very important for this! Don’t use a brand you don’t like and definitely do not use Miracle Whip or mayonnaise style dressing.
- You could use fresh dill if you like.
- Some tartar sauce recipes call for capers. If you like them, you could add them.
Other Homemade Sauces and Condiments
Homemade tartar sauce instantly dresses up any seafood meal and tastes so much better than store bought.
Make it the next time you serve fish and enjoy!
Looking for other homemade sauce and condiments?
Try these:
- Sweet & Sour Sauce
- Big Mac Sauce
- Homemade Ketchup
- Mexican White Sauce
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- Creamy Tzatziki Sauce
If you’ve tried this HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 - 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.1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 - 3 tbsp finely chopped dill pickle, 1 tsp. dried dill weed, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Refrigerate, for at least an hour, before using.
Notes
- Quality mayonnaise is very important for this! Don't use a brand you don't like and definitely do not use Miracle Whip or mayonnaise style dressing.
- You could use fresh dill if you like.
- Some tartar sauce recipes call for capers. If you like them, you could add them.
Nutrition
I hateeee wasting too!!!! This looks really good, now I want a fish stick! Haha:)
Thanks, Stephanie! Posting it put us in the mood for fish sticks too. Guess what was for lunch? ;)
I just love tartare sauce too and hate to waste food! Will need to try this version. Thanks
Saving is a beautiful AND tasty thing, isn’t it? Let me know what you think!
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
How long will this keep in the fridge?
In a sealed container, it should keep up to two weeks.
Can I use fresh dill instead of dill seed ?
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.
We love this recipe, this is the second time I have made it, can’t wait to eat! Thanks.
Great tartar sauce, as a variation I add a couple of heaping tablespoons of sour cream to it. Try it, you will like it!