Tartar Sauce

February 15, 2026

Tartar Sauce - kvalifood.com

American tartar sauce is a simple mix of mayonnaise, chopped pickles, and a few accent ingredients. It diverged from the French original (which is closer to a remoulade with hard-boiled egg yolk and chives) into something simpler and more pickle-forward. The core identity is mayo plus pickle - everything else is seasoning. Serve it with fried fish, fish sandwiches, or crab cakes.

Ingredients

Makes ca. 300 ml

220 g mayonnaise
65 g dill pickles, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, drained and finely chopped
20 g shallot (~1 small), finely minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried dill)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Directions

Finely chop the dill pickles and capers. Mince the shallot. Chop the fresh dill if using.
Combine the mayonnaise, pickles, capers, shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and dill in a bowl. Stir until evenly mixed.
Season with black pepper and salt. Taste and adjust - add more lemon juice for brightness or more pickle for tang.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld.

Notes

Keeps refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
For a more complex sauce, add 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
Sweet pickle relish can replace the chopped dill pickles for a sweeter, smoother version.
Fresh parsley can substitute for or supplement the dill.
If you like a pickle-heavy sauce, increase pickles to 100 g (1/2 cup).
Do not freeze - the mayo base breaks when thawed.