Tartar Sauce With Capers

Tartar Sauce is a delicious mayonnaise-based condiment made with capers, fresh herbs, gherkins, and shallots.

This simple homemade Tartar Sauce with Capers & Dill is much better than the store-bought versions and extremely easy to make.

This is possibly the best accompaniment to my all-time favorite British food "Fish and Chips".

You can customize Tartar Sauce to your taste, you can add Dijon mustard, tarragon, chives, hard-boiled eggs, horseradish, or even a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Just experiment and find the perfect combination that you like best! 

Jump to:

• What is Tartar Sauce?
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Tartar Sauce Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Tartar Sauce?
• What to Serve With Tartar Sauce?
• Top Tips From the Chef
• Recipe FAQ
• Related Recipes
• Tartar Sauce With Capers

What is Tartar Sauce?

Tartar Sauce (or Sauce Tartare as the French say) is a mayonnaise-based cold sauce made with capers, cornichons, and herbs.

It is a popular condiment typically served with seafood dishes such as fish and chips or fried seafood.

This creamy sauce is made from mayonnaise, pickles, capers, and sometimes herbs such as dill or parsley.

Other common ingredients in tartar sauce include lemon juice, vinegar, onion, and mustard.

It is often used as a dip or spread for seafood dishes, and can also be used as a dressing for salads or as a sandwich spread.

This creamy, tangy, and punchy condiment comes together in just 10 minutes and can be easily adjusted to your taste.

Why This Recipe Works?

• This rich and creamy Homemade Tartar Sauce is better than anything you can buy at the store.

• It is incredibly easy to make with only a few pantry & fridge ingredients. 

• Tartar Sauce keeps well in the fridge, tastes better a day after, and pairs perfectly with many seafood dishes or any other dish that needs a rich, tangy pop of flavor.

• You can customize it to your taste, you can add Dijon mustard, tarragon, chives, hard-boiled eggs, horseradish, or even a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Just experiment and find the perfect combination that you like best! 

Tartar Sauce Ingredients and Substitutes

• Mayonnaise - You can either make your own mayonnaise or use your favorite store-bought one! My favorite brand is Hellmann's when I want to use ready-made mayonnaise.

• Capers - They work great with this sauce as they provide that perfect touch of brininess and saltiness.

• Cornichon - They add crunch and flavor to the sauce. I sometimes use dill gherkins instead.

• Shallots - Although shallots are not commonly used to make tartar sauce, I love how it adds sharpness and makes my version of this recipe taste amazing.

• Herbs - Dill and parsley are a must for this sauce. Alternatively, you can use chives or tarragon.

• Lemon Juice - A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds brightness and sharpness to the sauce.

How to Make Tartar Sauce?

Making Tartar Sauce is very easy and straightforward.

However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps:

Start with preparing your vegetables and herbs.

Finely dice the shallots and cornichon, and set them aside.

Chop the capers, parsley, and dill, and set them aside.

Alternatively, blitz them in a food processor if you want them finer.

Use the pulse function and avoid turning the vegetables into a mash.

Place the mayonnaise into a bowl and then add the shallots, cornichons, capers, herbs, lemon juice, and salt.

Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.

Check the seasoning and adjust it to your taste. 

Transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors develop.

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

What to Serve With Tartar Sauce?

Tartar Sauce With Capers is a great condiment to serve with seafood dishes such as Baked Sea Bass In Foil - Firinda Levrek, BBQ Garlic Butter Prawns, Calamari Fritti, Fish Sticks in Air Fryer, Easy Air Fryer Crab Cakes, and Baked Cod With Panko.

You can also use Tartar Sauce for making sandwiches or serve it as a dip along with Greek Pita Bread, Shortcrust Pastry Mini Sausage Rolls, and Mucver - Crispy Zucchini Fritters.

Tartar Sauce is also perfect to serve with Crispy Sauté Potatoes With Garlic, Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes, Easy Air Fryer Hamburgers, Frozen Sweet Potatoes in Air Fryer, and Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts.

Top Tips From the Chef

• To ensure that the tartar sauce has a smooth texture, chop the pickles, capers, and onions very finely. You don't want large chunks of any ingredient to overpower the flavor of the sauce.

• If using a food processor to chop the ingredients, use the pulse function and avoid turning the vegetables into a mash.

• Avoid overmixing the mayonnaise as you might end up with a runny and messy tartar sauce. Whisk the ingredients gently, until all nicely combined.

• After mixing all the ingredients together, let the tartar sauce sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. This will give the flavors a chance to meld together and develop a richer taste.

Recipe FAQ

Related Recipes

For more delicious sauce and dip recipes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this creamy and tangy homemade Tartar Sauce as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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