Best Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipes - Perfect for Fish, Seafood, Salads, Barbecues
Tartar (also known as 'tartare') sauce is regarded as the ultimate accompaniment for fish, other seafood and fried chips. Its salty sweet and sour taste proves the ideal partner for fish and other fried and grilled seafood.
However, many commercial tartar sauces lack flavor, complexity and tangy taste of the best sauces.
The best way to ensure a perfect tartar sauce is to make your own. There are relatively few ingredients and the sauce is easy to make using one of the best ever recipes provided below. The elements of a great tartar sauce are provided below.
The Base for Tartar Sauce
The common base for tartar sauce is a good quality commercial or homemade mayonnaise. Always choose a stellar mayonnaise rather than and insipid one. Other options are fresh whipped cream or creme fraiche. You can add a touch of mustard to the mayonnaise or use other flavored varieties. Many who have tried the cream version say it is too rich.
Source of Sourness and Saltiness for Tartar Sauce
The true magic of tartar sauce is to correctly balance the creamy rich taste of the mayonnaise with the sour, tangy and salty taste of gherkins and/or capers, which are mandatory ingredients for a genuine tartar sauce. You can choose salted or unsalted capers, or use various varieties of soft dill pickles and gherkins. The size of the chopped capers, pickles or gherkins is also a matter of taste and texture preferences. Many recipes also call for the addition of a little vinegar or lemon juice to increase the tanginess of the sauce.
Fresh Herbs and Aromatic Ingredients for Tartar Sauce
Fresh herbs add an extra dimension to a good tartar sauce. Once again the choice depends and taste and availability. Parsley is probably the most popular choice for fresh herbs as its peppery taste complements the capes and pickles. brilliantly. Other options are chives, coriander or tarragon. Basil is probably too strong. Other options include chillies, paprika and other spices. Finely chopped or crushed garlic can also be added.
Fresh Herbs and Aromatic Ingredients for Tartar Sauce
Fresh herbs add an extra dimension to a good tartar sauce. Once again the choice depends and taste and availability. Parsley is probably the most popular choice for fresh herbs as its peppery taste complements the capes and pickles, brilliantly. Other options are chives, coriander or tarragon. Basil is probably too strong. Other options include chillies, paprika and other spices. Finely chopped or crushed garlic can also be added.
Extra Egg or Not - That is the Question
There is a lot of debate about whether an extra egg should be added, apart from the egg in the mayonnaise. Some like the extra texture and interest provided by adding raw or cooked egg yolks to the tartar sauce. Detractors claim that this makes the sauce too 'eggy' in taste. Others claim that adding an extra egg reduces the tangy and acid of the sauce, which is one of its main features.
Perfect Tartar Sauce Recipe with Cornichons, Egg Yolks, Parsley and Chives
Ingredients
- 2 egg yolks
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup sunflower or rice bran oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- 1 tablespoon capers (salted), rinsed and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon cornichons (or other pickles or gherkins), finely chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar from cornichons (or gherkins) or from a bottle of vinegar
Method
Combine the mustard, egg yolks and salt together using a food processor, blender or manually using a whisk. Next, drizzle in the oil, while blending or mixing continuously to make the homemade mayonnaise. Add the oil very slowly to prevent the mixture curdling. The mixture will be very thick at this stage, but it will become thinner once the vinegar is added. Once all the oil has been added, blend in the vinegar. Add the remaining ingredients. Taste the sauce and adjust the flavor and thickness to your liking, by adding extra salt or vinegar. Serve the homemade tartar sauce at room temperature.
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe with Onion, Capers and Lemon Juice
This is a quick and easy version using prepared mayonnaise (bought of homemade).
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon capers (whole or chopped)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dill pickles finely chopped
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl using a whisk. Serve at room temperature.
Spicy Tartar Sauce Recipe with Chillies, Sour Cream, Pickle Relish and Lemon Juice
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chillies
- 1/2 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise (homemade preferred)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature with fish or seafood.
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe with Mustard, Shallots and Tabasco Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup homemade mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup dill pickles finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon capers (chopped or whole)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons chopped shallots
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 6 drops Tabasco sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Serve at room temperature.
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