How to Make the Best Tartar Sauce

Making your own tartar sauce is the best way to bring out the flavor in your favorite seafood dishes and fried foods. This creamy condiment has just 4 ingredients, makes up quickly, and is easily customizable to your own taste.

My easy homemade tartar sauce recipe is fully loaded with flavor, so you can skip going to the grocery store.

All of the ingredients are likely already in your pantry or fridge so you can make a creamy tartar sauce anytime.

Jump to Recipe

This is my favorite recipe that I make with lots of variations for you to try.

Jump to:

• What is Tartar Sauce?
• What to Serve with Tartar Sauce
• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• My Top Tips
• Substitutions & Variations
• Make-Ahead & Storage
• Make a Delicious Salmon Dinner
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What is Tartar Sauce?

Tartar sauce is a creamy condiment that is served with seafood recipes. It typically contains mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, and herbs. It may also be enhanced with lemon, capers, chopped green olives, and hot sauce to enhance the flavor of the sauce when paired with a particular seafood dish.

Why This Recipe Works

All seafood restaurants have their own signature tartar sauce that starts with a creamy mayo base which is customized to pair well with their dishes and this recipe is exactly the same. It is creamy with bits of sweetness but also has lemon and herbs that go very well with fish and seafood.

For me, the best tartar sauce recipe must have 3 ingredients at a minimum, mayonnaise, sweet and sour pickle relish, and lemon for flavor and acidity. A sauce with those 3 ingredients is very delicious with simple fish sticks, sandwiches, and fillets. But I also like to add a single herb like chives or dill weed to make the flavor of the sauce more complex and interesting.

I've made this easy tartar sauce recipe for years because it has simple ingredients and is quick to make. Just a few minutes before you put your fish on to cook, you can make this sauce in just 5 minutes.

And the beauty of this recipe is that the flavor is easy to adjust simply by adding more or less of the ingredients stirred into the mayo or customizing the sauce with some of the ingredients I've listed below in the "Substitutions & Variations" section.

So, let's cook!

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make your own tartar sauce:

• Miracle Whip Salad Dressing or Mayonnaise - The base of tartar sauce is creamy mayonnaise. I have a personal preference to use Miracle Whip but you can use your favorite mayo. You may wish to adjust the lemon in this recipe if you use Duke's mayonnaise which has a distinctive lemon flavor.
• Sweet Pickle Relish - Having both a sweet and sour flavor in the sauce is very pleasing. I like sweet relish but you can use dill relish too. Be sure to drain the relish well before adding it. If you don't have pickle relish you can finely chop whole pickles too.
• Grated Fresh Lemon Zest and Fresh Lemon Juice - Lemon goes very well with seafood and the acidity of lemon lifts the flavor of the sauce. Fresh is always best and you will need 1 fresh lemon for the zest and the juice.
• Fresh Chopped Chives - Chives give a mild onion flavor to the sauce and are my favorite herb to add.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

In a small bowl thoroughly combine all ingredients with a whisk or fork. 

For the best flavor cover and refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving.

My Top Tips

♡ If using dried herbs, make the sauce 2 hours ahead of serving.

Substitutions & Variations

• Use Dill Relish. If you like a less sweet sauce, dill relish will add tartness. Substitute it for the sweet relish or use half dill relish and half sweet relish.
• Use Dill Weed. Dill Weed is a favorite herb to add to tartar sauce and goes well with both sweet relish and dill relish. It does have a strong flavor so add a teaspoon of fresh dill or ¼ teaspoon of dried dill to change up the taste of your tartar sauce.
• Substitute Tarragon. Tarragon is a classic pairing with fish and is very delicious. Instead of chives substitute a tablespoon of fresh chopped tarragon or up to 1 teaspoon of dried.
• Use Dill Pickles or Sweet Pickles. You can substitute finely cut sweet pickles or dill pickles for the pickle relish in this recipe.
• Add Dijon Mustard. Add a smidgeon of Dijon mustard for a tangy bit of heat. This variation is delicious with simple grilled salmon.
• Use Capers. Capers add a distinctive flavor to sauces for fish and can be added to tartar sauce. Reduce the relish by half and add drained capers, whole or chopped to the sauce.
• Add Green Olives. Make a Spanish-style sauce by adding finely chopped green olives and omitting the relish.
• Add Hot Sauce. Some people like a little heat and you can add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce.

Make-Ahead & Storage

Leftover tartar sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Make a Delicious Salmon Dinner

📖 Recipe