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This easy homemade tartar sauce recipe is fresh, flavorful, and way better than store-bought! Perfect for fish and chips, crab cakes, and more.
Featured with this recipe
- So Much Better Than Store-Bought
- What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Optional Ingredients for Extra Flavor
- How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Fresh Ingredients = Better Flavor
- Can I Make Tartar Sauce Without Mayo?
- How to Serve Your Tartar Sauce
- Frequently Asked Questions About Tartar Sauce
- More Delicious Seafood Recipes
- Tartar Sauce Recipe Recipe
So Much Better Than Store-Bought
If you’ve ever tried homemade tartar sauce, you know there’s just no comparison to the store-bought stuff! It’s so quick and easy to make yourself, and the taste is so much fresher and more flavorful. With fresh lemon juice, chopped dill pickles, and a few simple ingredients, this easy tartar sauce recipe is perfect for dipping crispy fish and chips, baked fish sticks, or even shrimp.
I came up with this recipe a few years ago to go with my homemade Fish and Chips, and it’s been a family favorite ever since. Once you taste it, I promise you won’t go back to store-bought tartar sauce!
What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
The best part about this homemade tartar sauce recipe is that you don’t need a lot of ingredients—just some simple pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Worcestershire sauce
- mayonnaise (I love Best Foods or Hellmann’s, but use whichever brand you prefer)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- chopped dill pickles (baby dill pickles are my favorite)
- fresh dill weed (or dried dill if you are in a pinch)
- black pepper
Optional Ingredients for Extra Flavor
While this recipe is already delicious on its own, you can totally mix things up by adding some of these ingredients to personalize it:
- Dill relish for a slightly sweeter touch
- Sweet or butter pickles if you like a hint of sweetness
- Chopped onions or a pinch of onion powder
- Garlic (fresh or powdered) for some extra zing
- Dijon mustard for a little extra tang
- Capers or fresh parsley for some herby goodness
- A splash of Tabasco sauce for a spicy kick
- Horseradish for an extra punch
Feel free to experiment and find the perfect version for you!
How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
Making tartar sauce from scratch is super simple. Here’s how I do it:
- Mix the ingredients: In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped dill pickles, dill weed, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. That’s it—simple, right?
- Chill the sauce: Cover the bowl and pop it in the fridge for at least an hour. If you have time to let it sit for a few hours (or even overnight), the flavors will meld together even more and taste even better.
- Serve: When you’re ready to eat, give the sauce a good stir. I love serving it with fish and chips, but it’s also amazing with fish sticks, fried shrimp, or even on fish tacos!
Fresh Ingredients = Better Flavor
For the best homemade tartar sauce, I always use fresh ingredients. I find that it makes a huge difference in taste!
- Lemon Juice: Always go for fresh lemon juice, not the bottled kind. A little trick I use to get the most juice out of my lemon is to roll it on the counter before cutting it in half and squeezing it. Or you can microwave the lemon for 10-15 seconds to really get those juices flowing.
- Fresh Dill: Fresh dill gives the sauce such a bright, fresh flavor. Dill is one of those herbs that starts to lose its flavor really quickly, so if you’re using fresh, use it within a day or two. If you don’t have fresh dill, you can use dried dill, but make sure to crush it between your fingers before adding it to the sauce. It helps release the oils and flavor!
- Dill Pickles: Some people use a dill pickle relish but for the best taste I highly recommend chopping your own dill pickles.
Can I Make Tartar Sauce Without Mayo?
Absolutely! If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, or you’re looking for a lighter version, you can substitute plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream instead of mayo. It will still be creamy and delicious, and you’ll get a nice protein boost from the yogurt!
How to Serve Your Tartar Sauce
The best part about homemade tartar sauce is how versatile it is. It’s not just for fish and chips—here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy it:
- Fish and Chips (of course!)
- Fish Sticks (kids love this one)
- Crab Cakes or Salmon Cakes
- Grilled or Baked Fish
- Fried Shrimp (perfect for dipping)
- Fish Tacos (trust me on this one, it’s amazing!)
- Vegetables (carrot sticks, celery, and more)
- French Fries or Potato Wedges
And honestly, it’s great as a dip for just about anything! You can even spread it on a fish sandwich or chicken sandwich for an extra burst of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tartar Sauce
If you store it in an airtight container, homemade tartar sauce will stay good for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. So, feel free to make a big batch and keep it on hand for all your seafood meals!
Yes, you can freeze tartar sauce! It’ll keep for up to 1 month in the freezer. Just make sure to store it in a freezer-safe container and leave some room at the top for the sauce to expand as it freezes.
Yes, tartar sauce is naturally gluten-free, which makes it a great option for anyone with gluten sensitivities.
READ NEXT: Top 10 Shrimp Recipes
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
Now that you’ve got the perfect homemade tartar sauce, why not try it with some of these other tasty seafood dishes?
Tartar Sauce Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellmann’s
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (juicing a real lemon tastes best)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons dill pickle finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dill weed finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, chopped dill pickles and dill weed, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
- Stir until thoroughly combined. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The longer, the better. Flavors will get stronger with more time.
- Stir before serving. Great as a dip or dressing with seafood!
Notes
Recipe Tips:
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- For the very best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon. There’s just something so fresh and light about using juice from a real lemon. For maximum juice, roll it on the counter for a few seconds before slicing in half and squeeze cut side up, to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Or you can microwave your lemon for about 10 seconds, which really gets those tangy juices flowing.
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- Use fresh dill. Dill weed loses its freshness quickly, so if you’re purchasing dill, use it with a day or two of purchase. If you grow dill in your garden, pick it just before you plant to use it in a recipe. The dill leaves will wilt and lose their flavor if kept in the fridge too long.
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- Don’t worry about too much dill overpowering the dish. The dill weed has such a mild flavor that you can add quite a bit if you choose.
- Some people use a dill pickle relish but for the best taste I highly recommend chopping your own dill pickles.
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- When chopping fresh dill leaves, remove the feathery fern-like leaves and stems from the thick center stem. Discard the stem, then use a sharp chopping knife to mince the leaves to the desired consistency.
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- If you don’t have fresh dill available, use dried dill! Be sure to crush the dill leaves between your fingers before adding to the tartar sauce, which will bring out more of the flavor.
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- Use a good quality mayonnaise; it makes a huge difference in the taste of the sauce. We really love Best Foods or Hellman’s Mayo, but use whatever you prefer.
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- If you want to make tartar sauce lighter (without mayo), try using plain Greek yogurt. It’ll also give it a boost of protein.
Nutrition Information
Making homemade tartar sauce is one of those little things that makes a big difference in how your seafood dishes taste. It’s so simple, so fresh, and just way better than anything you can buy. Once you give this recipe a try, I’m pretty sure it’ll become your go-to tartar sauce for every meal.
I’d love to hear how it turns out for you! Drop a comment below and let me know what you think. And if you loved the recipe, don’t forget to share it with friends and family!
I decided to try your tartar sauce recipe last minute and I am thankful I did. I may never go back to bottled, even if tired. Super easy and the perfect balance of flavors!
I don’t add in the Worcestershire sauce, but I do add onion powder. This recipe looks like a nice alternate flavor of tarter sauce. I will be trying this. Thanks
All I want is the recipe for homemade tarter sauce
Super simple to make tasted awesome made it to go with my southern fried catfish!
Yum! Thank you for the review. We are so glad this recipe complemented your catfish!
Awesome stuff! I was in a pinch and had to make it with bottled lemon juice and dried dill so I can imagine how good it is with fresh ingredients. As for the best mayo in my opinion the answer is always Duke’s. 😊
Thank you, Jeremy!
Can’t wait to try this recipe.