Tartar Sauce With Pickle and Mayonnaise

Salmon with tartar sauce
Monty Rakusen/Cultura/Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Creamy tartar sauce comes in many varieties, from spicy to tangy, smokey to herby. The traditional sauce is made with capers, pickles, and tarragon or dill, but there is no one true recipe, as the mayonnaise-based sauce has adapted over the years to changing diets and uses other than being served with seafood. Our quick recipe follows tradition but replaces the tarragon with parsley for a vibrant touch of freshness. Mix everything in a food processor or blender and if you have time, chill it until it's time to eat. Great with crab cakes, peel-and-eat shrimp, or tempura-style seafood bites, the sauce can also be a great side to crudités and chicken fingers, or as a spread for sandwiches and wraps. A touch of tangy mustard adds a twist to the sauce and makes it a perfect contrast with earthier flavors like smoked meats and sharp and creamy cheeses.

Tartar sauce, or Tartare sauce in other latitudes, was probably invented in France inspired by a condiment for seafood used in Turkey and the Levant called tarator. It could also come from the French name Tartare, denoting the Tatars, an ethnic group who inhabited Ukraine and Russia. Though tarator is based on tahini paste and not similar to tartar sauce, they are both creamy and an excellent pair to all types of seafood. The French sauce is mayonnaise or aioli-based, but nowadays recipes also use other bases like sour cream, Greek yogurt, or plant-based yogurts to adjust it to different dietary needs. Our sauce is gluten-free as long as the mayonnaise you are using states it is indeed free of wheat ingredients. But it does contain egg. For an egg-free version, use vegan mayonnaise.

Use this sauce on crab legs or crab cakes, serve it on top of baked potatoes, or use it on roasted root vegetables to add a fresh touch. Make a vegetarian sandwich with grilled vegetables, tartar sauce, and the cheese of your choice. Smear it on corn on the grill and top with abundant queso fresco, or mix it with sliced crab sticks to make a creamy salad to stuff hotdog buns. This sauce keeps well for up to 3 days in the fridge. For a thinner dressing, mix with abundant fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of olive—it's delicious on fresh greens.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise

  • 1 teaspoon prepared mustard

  • 2 tablespoons chopped sweet pickle

  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Blend the ingredients together well.

  3. Refrigerate, and chill thoroughly until serving. 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
253 Calories
28g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 253
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 35%
Saturated Fat 4g 21%
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 291mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 15mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)