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Homemade tartar sauce is so easy to make yourself. With freshly squeezed lemon and chopped dill, it tastes so much better than anything you can buy.
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This Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe turns even boring oven baked fish sticks into a delicious meal! We came up with this recipe when we made our scrumptious Fish and Chips. We’ve tried so many store-bought and restaurant served tartar sauces over the years, and we definitely prefer the zesty flavor of this homemade version. It’s all about using the freshest ingredients for this recipe. Believe us, it makes all the difference! Plus, this recipe is so easy to make and costs much less than most store bought brands. Give it a try for yourself; it’ll be the best tartar sauce you’ve ever tasted!
Ingredients in Homemade Tartar Sauce
From fresh herbs to fresh lemon juice, using quality ingredients turns the most basic condiment into the most delicious dipping sauce ever! You only need a few ingredients. For this easy tartar sauce recipe, less is more. Here’s what you need:
- Mayonnaise – One cup of Best Foods or Hellmann’s or your favorite mayo brand.
- Lemon juice – you can use bottled lemon juice in a pinch but fresh tastes much better.
- Dill pickles – about two to three tablespoons, finely chopped. You can also use dill relish or sweet pickle relish.
- Dill weed – two teaspoons, finely chopped
- Black pepper – freshly ground pepper tastes so good in this sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce – just a dash or two
Additional Ingredients to Try
While tartar sauce is a creamy condiment with a mayonnaise base (for a lower fat option, plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream can also be used as a base) you can add all sorts of spices and ingredients to the base to make a tangy and tart dip for fish, shrimp and other favorite seafood dishes. I also love dipping French fries and Veggies in it, and using it on fish sandwiches. Here are some ideas:
- Dill relish
- Sweet pickles or butter pickles
- Onion powder
- Chopped onions
- Garlic
- Teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Capers
- Fresh Parsley
- Chopped olives
- Horseradish
- Shallots
- Fresh chives
- Tabasco Sauce
- Tarragon
How to Serve Tartar Sauce
A good Tartar Sauce Recipe is essential when preparing fish or seafood recipes. The creamy, tangy taste perfectly complements crab cakes, fish and chips, salmon cakes, or fish that is baked, grilled, or fried. But it can also be a delicious dip for veggies or crackers.
Fresh Ingredients are Best
- For the very best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon. There’s just something so fresh and light about using juice from a real lemon. For maximum juice, roll it on the counter for a few seconds before slicing in half and squeeze cut side up, to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Or you can microwave your lemon for about 10 seconds, which really gets those tangy juices flowing.
- Use fresh dill. Dill weed loses its freshness quickly, so if you’re purchasing dill, use it with a day or two of purchase. If you grow dill in your garden, pick it just before you plant to use it in a recipe. The dill leaves will wilt and lose their flavor if kept in the fridge too long.
- Don’t worry about too much dill overpowering the dish. The dill weed has such a mild flavor that you can add quite a bit if you choose.
- When chopping fresh dill leaves, remove the feathery fern-like leaves and stems from the thick center stem. Discard the stem, then use a sharp chopping knife to mince the leaves to the desired consistency.
- If you don’t have fresh dill available, use dried dill! Be sure to crush the dill leaves between your fingers before adding to the tartar sauce, which will bring out more of the flavor.
- Use a good quality mayonnaise; it makes a huge difference in the taste of the sauce. We really love Best Foods or Hellman’s Mayo, but use whatever you prefer.
- If you want to make tartar sauce without mayo or miracle whip, try using plain Greek yogurt. It’ll also give it a boost of protein.
- Some people use a dill pickle relish but for the best taste I highly recommend chopping your own dill pickles.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tartar Sauce
Homemade tartar sauce will stay good for up to two weeks, as long as it’s kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can freeze this sauce for up to a month. Just make sure it’s in a freezer safe container, and only fill it about three quarters of the way full.
Avoid using if it’s been in the fridge longer than two weeks or if the sauce has an odd smell or appearance or if mold appears.
Yes, tartar sauce does not contain any gluten.
READ NEXT:Top 10 Shrimp Recipes
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
We have lots of tasty fish and seafood dishes that you are going to love! There are so many great ways to cook up fish and use this homemade tartar sauce. Try a few of our favorites.
How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellmann’s
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juicing a real lemon tastes best)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons dill pickle finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dill weed finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, chopped dill pickles and dill weed, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
- Stir until thoroughly combined. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The longer, the better. Flavors will get stronger with more time.
- Stir before serving. Great as a dip or dressing with seafood!
Notes
Recipe Tips:
-
- For the very best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon. There’s just something so fresh and light about using juice from a real lemon. For maximum juice, roll it on the counter for a few seconds before slicing in half and squeeze cut side up, to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Or you can microwave your lemon for about 10 seconds, which really gets those tangy juices flowing.
-
- Use fresh dill. Dill weed loses its freshness quickly, so if you’re purchasing dill, use it with a day or two of purchase. If you grow dill in your garden, pick it just before you plant to use it in a recipe. The dill leaves will wilt and lose their flavor if kept in the fridge too long.
-
- Don’t worry about too much dill overpowering the dish. The dill weed has such a mild flavor that you can add quite a bit if you choose.
- Some people use a dill pickle relish but for the best taste I highly recommend chopping your own dill pickles.
-
- When chopping fresh dill leaves, remove the feathery fern-like leaves and stems from the thick center stem. Discard the stem, then use a sharp chopping knife to mince the leaves to the desired consistency.
-
- If you don’t have fresh dill available, use dried dill! Be sure to crush the dill leaves between your fingers before adding to the tartar sauce, which will bring out more of the flavor.
-
- Use a good quality mayonnaise; it makes a huge difference in the taste of the sauce. We really love Best Foods or Hellman’s Mayo, but use whatever you prefer.
-
- If you want to make tartar sauce lighter (without mayo), try using plain Greek yogurt. It’ll also give it a boost of protein.
All I want is the recipe for homemade tarter sauce
Super simple to make tasted awesome made it to go with my southern fried catfish!
Yum! Thank you for the review. We are so glad this recipe complemented your catfish!
Awesome stuff! I was in a pinch and had to make it with bottled lemon juice and dried dill so I can imagine how good it is with fresh ingredients. As for the best mayo in my opinion the answer is always Duke’s. 😊
Thank you, Jeremy!
Can’t wait to try this recipe.