• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Show Me the Yummy

Jump to RecipeFAQ
  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Appetizers
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • About
  • Income
This Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe only requires 10 ingredients (INCLUDING salt and pepper): cod or tilapia, spices: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, whole wheat flour, eggs, lemon juice, panko breadcrumbs, and old bay seasoning! Oven baked instructions listed as well. showmetheyummy.com #healthy #fishsticks #airfryer #baked
Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe
These Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are a healthier, easier, and tastier homemade version of a drive through or frozen classic! Chicken breasts marinated in buttermilk, my secret ingredient and salt, then tossed in panko, whole wheat flour, and spices! showmetheyummy.com #airfryer #chickennuggets
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
These Baked Sweet Potato Fries are sweet, salty, crispy, and fluffy! These are served w/ 3 sauces: honey mustard, brown sugar marshmallow, & maple vanilla! showmetheyummy.com #sweetpotato #fries
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
#ad Baked Corn Crab Cakes paired with a Three Cheese Chipotle Potato Soup is the perfect cozy, winter dinner. 10 minutes of prep and you've got yourself a restaurant quality meal! showmetheyummy.com Made in partnership w/ @idahoanfoods
Baked Corn Crab Cakes Recipe
Pepper Jack Stuffed Burger with Jalapeno Cream Sauce. A juicy burger filled with gooey cheese and topped w/ a creamy jalapeno sauce and crispy fried onions! showmetheyummy.com #burger #spicy #cheese #fried #grilling
Pepper Jack Stuffed Burger with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce! Seriously, what's better than that? Crispy fried golden wontons stuffed with gooey, melty cheese and dipped in sweet and tangy honey mustard. Perfection! www.showmetheyummy.com #cheese #wontons #honeymustard #appetizers
Cheese Wontons with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Plate of three salmon patties with cup of tartar sauce and lemon slices above
Salmon Patties
three crab cakes stacked being drizzled with sauce
Crab Cake Recipe
The best back to school recipes! We’ve got you covered with everything from breakfasts on-the-go, easy lunches, after school snacks, and quick dinners! showmetheyummy.com #backtoschool #easyrecipe
Portobello Mushroom Burger
parmesan tilapia on a bed of greens
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
People Also Viewed
This Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe only requires 10 ingredients (INCLUDING salt and pepper): cod or tilapia, spices: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, whole wheat flour, eggs, lemon juice, panko breadcrumbs, and old bay seasoning! Oven baked instructions listed as well. showmetheyummy.com #healthy #fishsticks #airfryer #baked
Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe
These Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are a healthier, easier, and tastier homemade version of a drive through or frozen classic! Chicken breasts marinated in buttermilk, my secret ingredient and salt, then tossed in panko, whole wheat flour, and spices! showmetheyummy.com #airfryer #chickennuggets
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
These Baked Sweet Potato Fries are sweet, salty, crispy, and fluffy! These are served w/ 3 sauces: honey mustard, brown sugar marshmallow, & maple vanilla! showmetheyummy.com #sweetpotato #fries
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
#ad Baked Corn Crab Cakes paired with a Three Cheese Chipotle Potato Soup is the perfect cozy, winter dinner. 10 minutes of prep and you've got yourself a restaurant quality meal! showmetheyummy.com Made in partnership w/ @idahoanfoods
Baked Corn Crab Cakes Recipe
Pepper Jack Stuffed Burger with Jalapeno Cream Sauce. A juicy burger filled with gooey cheese and topped w/ a creamy jalapeno sauce and crispy fried onions! showmetheyummy.com #burger #spicy #cheese #fried #grilling
Pepper Jack Stuffed Burger with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce! Seriously, what's better than that? Crispy fried golden wontons stuffed with gooey, melty cheese and dipped in sweet and tangy honey mustard. Perfection! www.showmetheyummy.com #cheese #wontons #honeymustard #appetizers
Cheese Wontons with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Plate of three salmon patties with cup of tartar sauce and lemon slices above
Salmon Patties
three crab cakes stacked being drizzled with sauce
Crab Cake Recipe
The best back to school recipes! We’ve got you covered with everything from breakfasts on-the-go, easy lunches, after school snacks, and quick dinners! showmetheyummy.com #backtoschool #easyrecipe
Portobello Mushroom Burger
parmesan tilapia on a bed of greens
Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
breadstick being dipped in jar of alfredo sauce
Alfredo Sauce
instant pot spaghetti sauce over pasta side view
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Home Recipes Sauces & Dressings Tartar Sauce

Tartar Sauce

by Jennifer Debth May 4, 2020
10 Comments
5 from 5 votes
JUMP TO RECIPE
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

This Tartar Sauce comes together in just 5 minutes and is packed with flavors like dill, onion, and garlic. It’s the perfect addition to any seafood dish and makes a delicious dipping sauce for sweet potato fries.

Jar of tartar sauce held

Quick Navigation
JUMP TO RECIPE
  • General
  • What is tartar sauce?
  • Ingredients
  • How to make
  • Get the recipe
  • Step-by-step video
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Tartar sauce vs cream of tartar
  • Is tartar sauce healthy?
  • How to thicken
  • Pairing suggestions
  • How to store
  • Nutrition information

Tartar sauce brings me back to childhood summers spent at the lake in Northern Minnesota. Days were spent swimming, boating, and fishing. Nights were spent celebrating the fruits of our labor with a classic fish fry.

And what’s a fish fry without a ton of tartar sauce? Back then we’d use the store-bought variety, but if you’re going through all the trouble of frying fish, you might as well take an extra 5 minutes to make a homemade tartar sauce, amiright?!

What is tartar sauce?

Tartar sauce is a classic condiment commonly served with fried fish and seafood. It’s typically mayonnaise based and flavored with various herbs, spices, and additional adds-ins such as capers, pickles, onion, and garlic.

Not all tartar sauces are exactly the same! While some recipes include capers and lemon juice, I decided to use dill pickle relish and pickle juice from the relish jar (less work if you ask me)!

I personally find capers too brine-y for tartar sauce, but feel free to chop some up and add them if desired. If you’ve run out of pickle juice, just replace with equal parts lemon juice.

Ingredients

This recipe only requires 7 ingredients, most of which you probably have in your kitchen already!

Pro tip
Use a good quality mayonnaise. The mayo is the star of this recipe and cheaper varieties often have a really overwhelming flavor.
  • Mayonnaise – the base for the sauce. For a lightened-up version, use an avocado oil based mayo, an olive oil based mayo, or a light mayo. If you’re really trying to cut calories, you can replace 1/2 the amount with non-fat plain greek yogurt, but keep in mind, this will change the flavor and creaminess of the sauce.
  • Dill Pickle Relish – I love the subtle tang and sweetness of dill pickles. Feel free to chop your own dill pickles, but I also have relish in the fridge, and it’s one less thing to chop. If you’re looking for something punchier, try chopped capers instead.
  • Pickle Juice – if you’re not a big fan of pickles, replace with equal parts lemon juice.
  • Grated Onion – adds a slightly sweet, acidic taste.
  • Salt and Pepper – brings out other flavors and adds a little spice.
  • Garlic Powder – rounds out the acidity of the onion and pickle with its nutty taste. I’m a huge raw garlic lover, but I actually prefer the subtleness of garlic powder in this recipe, because of the more powerful raw onion flavor.
  • Dried Dill –  gives the sauce that fresh, herbaceous aroma and taste. Feel free to use fresh, but I prefer the texture of dried dill, plus I always have dried dill on hand.
JUMP TO RECIPE

Why grated onion? Because the texture is SO much more pleasant than chopped. Nobody wants to bite into a big hunk of raw onion.

To grate an onion, start by cutting off a chunk of onion – you don’t need much to create 1 tablespoon of grated onion – then peel the outer layer of the onion. Hold a cheese grater firmly with one hand, then in your other hand, hold the onion and grate it using the smaller sized holes of the grater.

Measure out 1 tablespoon of grated onion and proceed with the recipe.

How to make tartar sauce

I’m all for keeping things easy around here and you’ll find plenty of store-bought condiments in my fridge. That being said, I absolutely LOVE making homemade tartar sauce. It tastes better, it only takes 5 minutes, and you can customize it to suit your tastebuds.

  1. Combine all your ingredients in a mixing bowl then serve immediately or store in a mason jar in the fridge!
JUMP TO RECIPE

Yep! That’s actually it, folks! 5 minutes and 1 bowl, and you’ve got an absolutely delicious, creamy condiment to pair with your seafood, fries, or whatever you like!

Salmon patty being dipped into cup of sauce

What’s the difference between tartar sauce and cream of tartar?

Although these two things sound similar, they are actually not alike at all. Cream of tartar is a dry, white powder that’s used in baking as a stabilizer or leavening agent. You’ll often find it in fluffy baked goods like angel cake, cookies, and meringue.

Tartar sauce, on the other hand, is a mayonnaise-based condiment often served with seafood!

Is tartar sauce healthy?

Typically? No. But it greatly depends on what ingredients you’re using. Today’s recipe is mayo-based so it’s not the healthiest of sauce options.

However, to lighten it up you could swap regular mayo for a lighter mayo like olive oil mayo – which I usually do – or even avocado oil mayo.

You could even try swapping some of the mayo with non fat plain greek yogurt. If you’re going the greek yogurt route, keep in mind, the flavor will be slightly tangier, because yogurt has a more “sour” flavor than mayonnaise. I don’t recommend swapping all of the mayo for yogurt because you’ll loose out on the classic flavor and creamy texture.

1 tablespoon of tartar sauce (using full fat mayonnaise) has 78 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

How do you thicken tartar sauce

If you make the recipe as directed, you shouldn’t need to thicken your tartar sauce. However, if you’re finding your tartar sauce too thin – your mayo may be thinner than mine; each brand is different – you can try adding more mayo and/or reducing the amount of pickle juice!.

Play around with it until you find the consistency that’s just right for you! If you’re adjusting the mayo and/or pickle juice, you may also need to re-season.

Four salmon patties stacked with a dollop of tartar sauce on top

What to serve with tartar sauce

Typically tartar sauce is served alongside fried seafood, but really, the sky is the limit. Here are some of my favorite pairings:

  • salmon patties
  • baked corn crab cakes
  • air fryer fish sticks
  • air fryer chicken nuggets
  • baked sweet potato fries

What are YOUR favorite things to serve tartar sauce with? Let me know in the comments below!

How to store

This sauce can be stored in a sealed airtight container or in a sealed mason jar in the fridge for up to two weeks! I don’t recommend freezing it because mayonnaise separates when it’s frozen.

-Jennifer

jar of tartar sauce

Tartar Sauce

5 from 5 votes
This Tartar Sauce comes together in just 5 minutes and is packed with flavors like dill, onion, and garlic. It's the perfect addition to any seafood dish and makes a delicious dipping sauce for sweet potato fries. 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Yield: 20 tablespoons
Print Pin Rate Recipe

Equipment for this recipe

Nesting Bowls Buy Now →
Mason Jar Buy Now →
Cheese Grater Buy Now →
See all equipment See all equipment
(equipment shown are affiliate links)
Scale

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
  • 2 tablespoons pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Instructions

  • Place ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine.
  • Serve and enjoy!
  • Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!
Rate This Recipe
STORING
Room Temp:N/A
Refrigerator:2 Weeks
Freezer:N/A
*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions

People Also Viewed

This Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe only requires 10 ingredients (INCLUDING salt and pepper): cod or tilapia, spices: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, whole wheat flour, eggs, lemon juice, panko breadcrumbs, and old bay seasoning! Oven baked instructions listed as well. showmetheyummy.com #healthy #fishsticks #airfryer #baked
Seafood
Homemade Healthy Air Fryer Fish Sticks Recipe
These Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets are a healthier, easier, and tastier homemade version of a drive through or frozen classic! Chicken breasts marinated in buttermilk, my secret ingredient and salt, then tossed in panko, whole wheat flour, and spices! showmetheyummy.com #airfryer #chickennuggets
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
These Baked Sweet Potato Fries are sweet, salty, crispy, and fluffy! These are served w/ 3 sauces: honey mustard, brown sugar marshmallow, & maple vanilla! showmetheyummy.com #sweetpotato #fries
Appetizers & Snacks
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
#ad Baked Corn Crab Cakes paired with a Three Cheese Chipotle Potato Soup is the perfect cozy, winter dinner. 10 minutes of prep and you've got yourself a restaurant quality meal! showmetheyummy.com Made in partnership w/ @idahoanfoods
Seafood
Baked Corn Crab Cakes Recipe
Pepper Jack Stuffed Burger with Jalapeno Cream Sauce. A juicy burger filled with gooey cheese and topped w/ a creamy jalapeno sauce and crispy fried onions! showmetheyummy.com #burger #spicy #cheese #fried #grilling
Beef
Pepper Jack Stuffed Burger with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Cheese wontons with honey mustard dipping sauce! Seriously, what's better than that? Crispy fried golden wontons stuffed with gooey, melty cheese and dipped in sweet and tangy honey mustard. Perfection! www.showmetheyummy.com #cheese #wontons #honeymustard #appetizers
Appetizers & Snacks
Cheese Wontons with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Tartar Sauce
Amount Per Serving (1 tablespoon)
Calories 78 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 5mg2%
Sodium 160mg7%
Potassium 2mg0%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 7IU0%
Calcium 1mg0%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Keywords: easy, mayo sauce, quick
Enjoy this recipe?
Tag @showmetheyummy on Instagram and hashtag it #showmetheyummy
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Author: Jennifer Debth

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Gluten Free, Recipes, Sauces & Dressings, Vegetarian

Reader Interactions

Subscribe

Sign up to get recipes delivered to your inbox and our Free All-Stars e-cookbook

    Leave a Comment/Rating Cancel reply

    Include to be notified of replies

    Rate this Recipe




    Filter Comments
    All Comments 0 Questions 0 Reviews
  1. Carol

    United States

    November 23, 2022 at 2:58 pm

    5 stars The absolute best
    Reply
    • Anonymous

      United States

      November 23, 2022 at 2:59 pm

      The secret is grating the onion … but easy on the dried dill Thanks for the recipe
    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      November 28, 2022 at 1:39 pm

      You’re so welcome!
    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      November 28, 2022 at 1:39 pm

      Yay! Thanks Carol!
  2. Anonymous

    Spokane, Washington

    June 9, 2022 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    Carson City, Nevada

    May 27, 2022 at 6:38 pm

    5 stars
    Reply
  4. Trish

    San Jose, California

    September 27, 2021 at 8:02 pm

    It sounds really good, easy to make. I put a little Worcestershire in mine, otherwise the same.
    Reply
    • Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

      September 28, 2021 at 9:52 am

      Enjoy!
  5. Anonymous

    Portland, Oregon

    August 1, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    5 stars
    Reply
  6. Anonymous

    Spokane, Washington

    December 11, 2020 at 9:11 pm

    5 stars
    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hello and Welcome!

Trevor and Jennifer HeadshotWe're Trevor and Jennifer, we live in Raleigh, North Carolina with our 70lb lap dog, Teddy. We love food and together, we are on a mission to find all things YUMMY!
About Us

Footer

RECIPES

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Snacks & Apps
  • Dessert
  • Drinks

ABOUT

  • About Us
  • Workshops
  • Income Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

SUBSCRIBE to get our All-Stars eCookbook free

Copyright © Show Me the Yummy © 2014–2023
|
Privacy Policy