Homemade Tartar Sauce

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Make the best homemade tartar sauce in minutes! This creamy, tangy recipe with capers, gherkins, and lemon is perfect for fried or grilled fish, seafood, and vegetables.

Tartar or Tartare  is a  cold sauce, typically eaten with fish, consisting of mayonnaise mixed with chopped pickles, capers, etc. which goes well with fish and seafood.

There are few sauces as timeless and versatile as Tartar Sauce.

Creamy, tangy, and full of texture, it pairs beautifully with fried or grilled fish, seafood croquettes, and even roasted vegetables.

This homemade version is quick to prepare and far superior to anything store-bought, thanks to the freshness of lemon juice, crunchy pickles, and aromatic herbs.

Origin of Tartar Sauce

Originating in France and later adopted by cuisines worldwide, tartar sauce has become a staple in Mediterranean kitchens too.

Its base of mayonnaise and mustard is balanced by the briny flavour of capers and gherkins, making it both refreshing and satisfying.

You can serve it alongside fish fillets, calamari, shrimp, or fish cakes, but it’s also lovely as a dip for potato wedges, fried potatoes or grilled vegetables.

For best results, prepare it a little ahead of time and let it chill, allowing the flavours to meld.

When I made the homemade mayonnaise with olive oil, I had some leftover so I decided to make Tartar Sauce, which I hadn’t made in a long time.  It is very easy to make and delicious to serve with Fish.

Update: 19th March, 2022

First time I made the homemade tartar sauce, I used the recipe below. When I decided to make it 14 years later, I used ingredients, I had home at that time.

Instead of capers, I used caper leaves (you can see the caper buds in the picture). These caper leaves are collected when very tender and they are pickled, to be used in salads.

I did not have any gherkins, so instead I used a green olive, filled with sweet pepper.

The rest ingredients are almost the same. You will find that recipe in the recipe card below.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 200 ml homemade mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
• 3 tbsp gherkins, drained and chopped
• 1 small spring onion, finely chopped
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl and serve straight away or store in the fridge until needed.

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

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