You’ll never go back to jarred once you master this simple Bobby Flay Tartar Sauce recipe. It’s bright, creamy tanginess makes even the most mundane seafood, like fish sticks and fish and chips, taste amazing.
The best part is that you can whip up this tartar sauce in just 5 minutes using only a handful of common cupboard items. Mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, lemon juice, and herbs are undoubtedly already in your kitchen pantry. It may be prepared in advance and stored for up to a week. Put down that jar of mediocre bottled tartar sauce and go for this instead.
What Is Tartar Sauce?
Mayonnaise, diced pickles (gherkins in the UK), capers, lemon juice, and herbs like dill, chives, tarragon, and/or parsley combine to make a rich, creamy, sour condiment called tartar sauce. Olives, onions, shallots, and apple cider vinegar are some of the ingredients used in variants.
Crab cakes, fish and chips, fish sticks, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried calamari, and fried oysters are just a few of the fried seafood dishes that benefit greatly from a side of tartar sauce. It goes well with a wide range of foods, from veggies to sandwiches to grilled chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious. Rich and velvety in texture, with a bright and acidic flavor and a hint of herbaceousness, all laced with saline undertones.
- Elevates Any Dish. Puts a zing in your step with a burst of flavor, whether you’re eating fish, vegetables, or wraps.
- Simple To Prepare. It can be mixed up in less than 5 minutes using a whisk.
- Versatile. Change the flavor to taste by adding more or less vinegar, salt, dill, etc.
- Make Ahead Friendly. Gets tastier after a week in the fridge.
What Makes Tartar Sauce Different From Remoulade?
Many of the same components, such as mayonnaise, go into both tartar sauce and remoulade. Cajun seasoning, mustard, ketchup, garlic, horseradish, and spicy sauce are just some of the other ingredients and spices that are commonly used in Louisiana-style remoulade in addition to the pickles, capers, and lemon juice. Compare this to a supercharged tartar sauce.
Bobby Flay Tartar Sauce Ingredients
To make this homemade tartar sauce, you just need a few simple ingredients and some dried herbs you probably already have lying around. In other words, you’ll require.
- Sour Cream. While most recipes call for mayonnaise as the backbone of tartar sauce, I find that substituting half sour cream yields a sauce that is both very creamy and far lighter than traditional recipes call for. You may use either full-fat or low-fat, although the full-fat version will have a richer flavor.
- Mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is commonly used in sauces because it binds the components and keeps them from separating. Let’s not pretend; actual mayonnaise, not miracle whip, is required.
- Pickles. Chopped pickles offer a salty brininess and a little crunch. If you ask me, dill pickles are the best of all pickles because of the harmony of salty, sour, vinegar, and dill flavors. You may choose from canned or fresh pickles, such as the grills you’ll find in the refrigerator department. The fresh kind retains most of the crisp cucumber flavor.
- Capers. They are not required for good tartar sauce but are very encouraged. Capers, which originated in Italy, is really flower buds that have been brined to remove their bitterness. The brined capers that result are salty, sour, and lemony taste bombs. Both the acid and salt that they contribute take the sauce to a whole new level of taste. As always, adjust to your personal preference.
- Lemon. Provides a burst of vibrant, tangy flavor while also thinning the sauce to a perfect dipping consistency. While fresh is ideal, bottled will do in a pinch.
- Dill. Prepare with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon of dried. Dill adds a beautifully fresh citrusy anise-like aroma to the sauce, along with a somewhat green sweetness.
- Chives. Despite their similar flavor to onions and garlic, chives are technically considered a herb. Look for firm, green stems without brown patches or wilting when selecting chives. Add a quarter of a teaspoon of onion powder in place of the chives.
- Dijon Mustard. Blends in a sour note that enhances the sauce’s overall flavor without imparting a mustardy aroma or texture.
- Seasonings. The addition of garlic powder, salt, and pepper brings out all of the flavors. Incorporate more or less based on personal preference.
Is Tartar Sauce Gluten Free?
Tartar sauce, prepared with mayonnaise, diced pickles, capers, lemon juice, and dill, should be gluten-free. Those adhering to a gluten-free diet, however, should carefully verify labels to be sure all listed components are indeed gluten-free.
What Does Tartar Sauce Taste Like?
You may describe tartar sauce as flavorful, tangy, and somewhat briny. There’s a hint of crunch from the finely chopped pickle, and it’s creamy from the mayonnaise; it has a bright lemony tanginess from the lemon juice; a salty brininess from the capers; a salty briny, dilly flavor from the pickle; and a fresh, citrusy flavor with a slightly grassy undertone from the dill.
Tartar sauce can be made saltier, brinier, tarter, or tangier based on the proportions of the components used. The flavor can be altered by adding or leaving out herbs like dill, tarragon, and parsley. Tartar sauce can be made in a variety of ways, each with its own unique flavor.
How To Make Bobby Flay Tartar Sauce
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
- Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 30 minutes for the finest flavor. When ready to use, taste and adjust with more lemon juice, capers, pickles, salt, or pepper to taste. The only way it won’t taste right is if you don’t experiment with it to make it your own.
- Refrigerate for up to 7 days, securely wrapped in plastic wrap.
What To Serve With Tartar Sauce?
Tartar sauce’s creamy kick works just as well on fish, vegetables, and eggs as it does on the fried seafood it’s most commonly served with, such as crab cakes and fish and chips. Some of our preferred applications for our homemade tartar sauce are listed below.
- Fried Seafood. You must have tartar sauce with fish sticks (try my oven/air fryer recipe), crab cakes, salmon patties, fish and chips, fried shrimp, fried clams, fried calamari, and fried oysters.
- Crispy Fried Or Baked Chicken. Popcorn chicken, oven-fried chicken, or chicken strips would all be great options to try it.
- Protein Topper. Baked, grilled, or pan-fried chicken, fish, shrimp, pig, etc. are all improved by the addition of tartar sauce. Greek chicken, harissa chicken, lemon basil chicken, and Greek meatballs are some of our favorite accompaniments.
- Crispy Baked Or Fried Appetizers. Crispy fried foods like zucchini fries, onion rings, french fries, hushpuppies, and fried green tomatoes all need a dip in the smooth sauce.
- Grilled Or Roasted Vegetables. Use homemade tartar sauce as a dip for your cooked vegetables, whether they’re roasted, steamed, sautéed, or grilled. Vegetable kabobs, corn on the cob, grilled zucchini, roasted carrots, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower, roasted asparagus, and so on all taste great when cooked with this recipe.
- Potatoes. Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and mashed potatoes are all enhanced by the addition of tartar sauce. Imagine a sour cream with more taste!
- Sandwiches, Burgers, And Wraps. Substitute tartar sauce for mayonnaise, hummus, or tzatziki. Classic burgers, Greek burgers, chicken gyros, doners, and po’ boy sandwiches are some of our favorite ways to enjoy them.
- Salad. Tuna salad, lobster salad, crab salad, ham salad, and egg salad would all benefit from this dressing.
Recipe Variations
There are countless uses for this tartar sauce recipe. In case you find yourself in a pinch or just want to experiment with other flavors, here are some suggestions for adjusting the components.
- Use Different Pickles. Bread and butter, or sweet pickles rather than dill, will give you a more sugary flavor.
- Use Relish. Rather than using chopped pickles, try using chopped relish.
- Make It Lighter. Make use of light mayonnaise and Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Alternatively, you may use only greek yogurt.
- Use Olives Instead. As an alternative to capers, try using finely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives.
- Spruce It Up With Some Lemon Juice. The sauce is brightened by the lemon juice, but there is no discernible lemon flavor in the final product. Increase the citrus flavor by adding lemon zest and extra lemon juice to taste.
- Use Apple Cider Vinegar. If you don’t have any lemon juice on hand, you may use apple cider vinegar instead or a mixture of the two.
- Add Onions. Substitute finely chopped shallot or green onion for the chives.
- Mix Up The Herbs. Change out some of the herbs with tarragon or parsley, or add more herbs.
- Mix Up The Seasonings. Flavor enhancers like cajun, old bay, Italian, and other spices can be added to the sauce depending on what it will be used for.
- Worcestershire Sauce. To add a burst of umami, sweetness, and tanginess, use 1–2 tablespoons.
- To Add Some Flavor. Add a pinch of cayenne or a few drops of Tabasco sauce.
- Make It Vegan. It’s easy to adapt this recipe to your vegan lifestyle by subbing vegenaise for mayonnaise and sour cream.
- Keep It Keto. If you’re on a ketogenic diet, use mayonnaise made without soybean oil, such as avocado oil mayo, and substitute dill pickles for sweet pickles. Tartar sauce alone has very few carbohydrates.
How To Store Tartar Sauce?
- In The Fridge. It is advised that you store this tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, regardless of whether you are making this tartar sauce ahead of time or if you have leftovers.
- In The Freezer. Because tartar sauce contains mayonnaise, you shouldn’t freeze it because the components will separate after defrosting and the flavor won’t be as good.
Recipe Tips
- Modify As Desired. This is such a basic recipe that it’s impossible to make a mistake. The only way it won’t be to your liking is if you don’t experiment with it. You may adjust the seasonings to your liking by adding more or less of anything, including pickles, capers, lemon juice, dill, etc.
- Finely Chop The Ingredients. Ingredients that are finely diced are distributed more uniformly throughout the sauce.
- Put In The Fridge To Chill. The flavors will really pop if you let the sauce at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving and overnight is even better.
Bobby Flay Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup finely chopped dill pickle or relish
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped capers
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped chives or ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon each salt and pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
- Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 30 minutes for the finest flavor. When ready to use, taste and adjust with more lemon juice, capers, pickles, salt, or pepper to taste. The only way it won’t taste right is if you don’t experiment with it to make it your own.
- Refrigerate for up to 7 days, securely wrapped in plastic wrap.
Notes
- Modify As Desired. This is such a basic recipe that it’s impossible to make a mistake. The only way it won’t be to your liking is if you don’t experiment with it. You may adjust the seasonings to your liking by adding more or less of anything, including pickles, capers, lemon juice, dill, etc.
- Finely Chop The Ingredients. Ingredients that are finely diced are distributed more uniformly throughout the sauce.
- Put In The Fridge To Chill. The flavors will really pop if you let the sauce at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving and overnight is even better.
Olivia
Wednesday 4th of December 2024
This was great, thanks.