Forget shop bought tartare sauce in favour of homemade version. My easy tartare sauce recipe is creamy and full of flavour with chunky gherkins, capers and lots of fresh herbs. Classic recipe deliciously elevated.
Tartare sauce (UK) aka tartar sauce (US) aka sauce tartare (France where this gorgeous mayonnaise based condiment originated), sos tatarski (Poland).
It probably doesn't need a lot of introduction and those of you who enjoy occasional fish and chips will know it quite well.
Tartare sauce is creamy yet sharp and tangy (thanks to both gherkins or cornichons and capers). Herbs like parsley, dill or even tarragon add lovely green freshness as does lemon juice which also carries that extra zing.
Of course traditionally it would have been made with 100% from scratch mayonnaise but we are keeping things super simple and using your favourite shop bought mayo. By all means use homemade mayo if you want though😄.
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and easy yet fresh and homemade. Forget the shop bought one.
- You can control the ingredients that are going into it.
- Make it as chunky as you like, taste those gherkins!
- Easy to make your own with some suggested extras.
- Great for making in advance, keeps well.
- Absolutely delicious!
- Easy to make vegan. Simply use vegan mayonnaise.
🛒 Ingredients to make Easy Tartare Sauce
Here's what you will need to make my Easy Tartare Sauce:
Mayonnaise - Base of our sauce. For ease use your favourite shop bought mayo. If you want to make vegan tartare sauce simply use vegan mayo.
If, however, you make your own mayo (I salute you), definitely use it here and make your sauce even better!
***Quick Tip*** If you wanted to make your sauce a bit lighter, feel free to substitute part of the mayo with yogurt. I would go for thick Greek yogurt here.
Gherkins or Cornichons- You can use any type of pickled cucumbers here, maybe with the exception of sweet and sour ones as they're simply too sweet for this sauce.
***Quick Tip*** Main reason why I love making my own tartare sauce so much is that I can keep my gherkins pretty chunky and be able to actually taste them unlike in most shop bought sauces which tend to be pretty smooth and runny.
Capers - For that salty, tangy flavour. Give them a light chop or chop some and keep the rest whole for more texture.
For those of you who despise capers (?) you can substitute them with green olives. If you don't like olives either I give up 😉.
Fresh Dill - Dill is my preferred herb to use in tartare sauce but fresh parsley or tarragon (if you like the flavour) work really well too.
Lemon Juice - For a bit more zing. Use it sparingly, to your liking. You can substitute it with some apple cider vinegar or even brine from your gherkins.
Salt and Pepper - To taste.
***Quick Tip*** Personally, I don't find this recipe needs much salt at all if any as we are using shop bough mayo and capers but as always taste and decide for yourself.
Optional Extras: My version is super simple but you could also include things like:
- finely chopped shallot or spring onions or chives for a little bit of oniony vibe
- a teaspoon or so of dijon mustard for a little bit of extra sharpness
- finely chopped or grated garlic (be careful here and add only a little bit at a time as too much garlic can introduce too much harshness to the sauce)
- Polish version of tartare sauce includes pickled mushrooms (pieczarki marynowane) instead of capers which not only add slightly different flavour but also texture to the sauce. You can find them in World Foods aisle in supermarkets or online.
🍳 How to make Easy Tartare Sauce
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Prepare your gherkins, capers and fresh dill and any other extras you might be using, (see 🛒 Ingredients to make Easy Tartare Sauce) by chopping them as finely or leaving as chunky as you like.
In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise, chopped gherkins, capers, fresh dill and some lemon juice until combined.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if required as well as more lemon juice to taste.
Enjoy!
🥡 Storing Tartare Sauce
Store: Your homemade tartare sauce should last in the fridge (covered) even for up to a week. As it does contain fresh herbs, however, the fresher they are the longer it will last. Also, always use your senses and common sense when judging whether something is still ok to consume.
***Quick Tip*** To prolong its life make sure to always take out the amount you are likely to use up and use clean utensils as not to contaminate your sauce and shorten its shelf life.
💭 Pro Tips
Use good quality mayonnaise.
Make it to your taste. Use the amounts in my recipe as a guide and adjust them to your liking, same goes for salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Leave the add-ins chunky or chop them finely, it's your sauce.
Let the sauce stand for half an hour after mixing if you've got time to allow flavours to mingle.
🍴 Serving suggestions
As I've already mentioned, tartare sauce is a classic accompaniment to fish and chips, fish fingers or any fried fish and other seafood for that matter.
If fish is not on your menu, my vegan tofu fish (even though it's baked and not fried) goes really well with a little dollop of tartare sauce as well.
Think anything breaded (covered in breadcrumbs and baked or fried) or battered whether it's fish, meat, tofu or veg. Try my delicious kohlrabi schnitzel or asparagus tempura.
Also don't forget simple things like vegetable fritters or baked beetroot falafels which can always use a good dipping sauce.
Polenta chips or even cold roast potatoes are instantly elevated when paired with this simple sauce. And if you're suffering from decision fatigue as to what dip to use for tofu and mushroom sausage rolls, forget ketchup and go with tartar sauce instead, an incredible match! I also love it as a dip for my wild garlic and potato parathas.
And don't forget hard boiled eggs. Simply cut them in half and adorn with a small dollop of tartare sauce each, just delicious.
Last but definitely not least, in Europe it is often served with antipasti style platters with cold meats, eggs and veggies.
Have you tried my Easy Tartare Sauce?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
❓ FAQ
No you shouldn't freeze mayonnaise based sauces as freezing and then thawing will cause for the sauce to separate and become watery and generally not very appetising.
Yes, the ingredients included in the tartar sauce naturally don't contain gluten. However, as always, make sure you read the labels carefully regarding possible cross-contamination.
You can use light mayo if you want.
😋 More delicious sauces you might like
Cucumber Raita (Dairy-Free, Vegan)
📋 Recipe
Easy Tartare Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 g mayonnaise of your choice see notes
- 20 g fresh dill or parsley finely chopped, see notes
- 15 g (approx. 15g) capers or to taste, see notes
- 50 g gherkins or cornichons or to taste, chopped finely or left chunky according to your preference
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your gherkins, capers and fresh dill (and any other extras you might be using (see Ingredients to make Easy Tartare Sauce) by chopping them as finely or leaving as chunky as you like.
- In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise, chopped gherkins, capers, fresh dill and some lemon juice until combined.150 g mayonnaise of your choice, 20 g fresh dill or parsley, 15 g (approx. 15g) capers, 50 g gherkins or cornichons, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if required as well as more lemon juice to taste.salt and pepper to taste
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (based on 6 servings) and calculated using full fat mayo. It should be treated as a rough guideline only.
- Use regular or vegan mayo. If you make your own mayonnaise definitely use that. To make the sauce a bit lighter, you can substitute some of the mayo with Greek yogurt.
- Feel free to use mixture of herbs. Tarragon will also work well in tartare sauce if you like the flavour as it's quite strong.
- Feel free to adjust the quantity of capers to your liking. If you're not a fan leave them out or swap for green olives.
- If stored properly in the fridge tartare sauce can last even for up to a week.
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