Quick and Easy Tartar Sauce uses only four ingredients you already have in your kitchen. A small homemade version that is better than the store-bought version.
Ingredients
Mayonnaise
Lemon juice
Dill or sweet pickle relish
Onion powder
Optional—capers, dill, yellow or Dijon mustard
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This simple sauce is great with baked or fried fish, oysters, fish sticks, and salmon or crab cakes. This smaller recipe is easy to double or triple for your needs.
Very nice for what it is. It's much better than the store-bought variety, and you can whip this up in a few minutes with pantry staples. Add some creamy, tangy flavor to your fish tonight.
👨🍳How to make homemade tartar sauce
- Combine mayo, lemon juice, dill or sweet pickle relish, and onion powder. Mix well.
- It is better if cooled for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.
- Refrigerate until needed.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
✔️Tips to make it your way
- Use full-fat or lower-fat mayonnaise, but please avoid the fat-free.
- Avoid Miracle Whip™ or flavored mayonnaise since they will add other tastes unless that is what you want.
- The onion powder and lemon juice may switch those out for fresh, but you will be tossing leftover lemon or onion.
- Use either dill or sweet pickle relish—your choice.
When to use tartar sauce
Excellent with Baked Blackened Tilapia or Grilled Blackened Tilapia. And don't miss these other uses, like Grilled Blackened Tilapia, Grilled Lemon Butter Tilapia, Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, and Lemon Butter Salmon.
Variations
The other commonly added flavors are capers, dill, and mustard.
Capers
This recipe is without capers, which I never have when I want them. Most current recipes do not include capers, but they are traditionally used.
To make tartar sauce with capers in my small recipe, drain and finely chop 1 teaspoon of capers. Increase proportionately for larger amounts.
One final note on capers, general they are combined with a dill flavor.
Dill
There are several ways to make this a dill tartar sauce. First, skip the sweet pickle relish, then try one of these options.
-Dill relish: 1 teaspoon (the suggested method)
or
-Dill Weed: 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped or 1 teaspoon dried dill
or
-Dill Pickle: 1 tablespoon chopped
Mustard
Use ⅓ teaspoon of Dijon or yellow mustard if you wish.
❓FAQs
Tartar sauce is a creamy condiment dipping sauce with a mayonnaise base, usually served with fish or other seafood dishes. It's creamy with rich and tangy flavors that you can vary.
The leftover tartar sauce should be sealed in an airtight container for a week. Do not freeze.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Stir in a small bowl ⅓ cup mayo, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
Better if cooled for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.
📖 Recipe
Quick and Easy Tartar Sauce
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Ingredients
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dill or sweet pickle relish
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Options
- 1 teaspoon Capers - drained and finely chopped
- Dill
- 1 teaspoon yellow or dijon mustard
Instructions
- Stir in a small bowl ⅓ cup mayo, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
- Better if cooled for 20-30 minutes before serving for the best flavor.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- This is a very small recipe making only 6 tablespoons, which I’m calling 4 servings. Most recipes will make three times that amount. So adjust to the amount you need.
- The quality of the ingredients is essential.
- If you add the optional capers, use a dill option and skip the sweet pickle relish.
- Dill options: Switch out the sweet relish for: 1 teaspoon of dill relish. Or add 1 teaspoon of dry dill weed or 1 tablespoon of fresh dill. Or add 1 tablespoon of chopped dill pickle.
- It should be sealed well without air. Good refrigerated for 1 week. Do not freeze.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published May 11, 2013. Updated with expanded discussion with options and re-edited photos. Table of contents added for navigation.
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