French tartar sauce
Main ingredients:
 | Mayonnaise (store-bought or homemade) |
 | Dill pickles |
 | Capers |
 | Lemon juice |
Spices, herbs and flavoring ingredients:
 | Dried parsley |
 | Dried Dill |
 | Chopped chives |
 | Espalette pepper (or cayenne pepper) |
 | Black pepper |
The traditional fish and chips may English, but the accompanying sauce tartare (tartar sauce) is all French. And if you are a lover of seafood and breaded meats, the tartar sauce has to be one of your favorites.
A tangy and flavorful condiment, tartare sauce is incredibly simple to make. It goes well with fried fish, fried shrimp, fried clams, and even on fish sandwiches. You can even use it in place of mayonnaise in all sorts of dishes for a bit more tang and flavor.
It is not really clear where tartar sauce got its name from, with the word tartare being a Turkic word referring to the Tatar people (Turkish-Mongol peoples, whose territory was also called Tartary in the West. And of course, it has nothing to do with that other tartare that involves raw meat.
The tartar sauce however, is one of the daughter sauces of the creamy French hollandaise sauce, albeit with a flavors that are more tart and almost acidic.
And if you are looking for something natural, other than the store-bought variety, the sauce is easy enough to put together in 10 minutes or less. And you probably can make this easy tartar sauce recipe with ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. So let’s get it shall we? Allons-y!
Shortcuts to tartare sauce
While tartare sauce doesn’t take very long to prepare, it does taste better if it has been sitting for while in the fridge. If you are short on time, you can use store-bought mayonnaise that has been in the fridge instead of making your own.
I say this because if you are making your own mayonnaise, the French recipe takes into account that in France eggs are usually kept outside. The eggs whisk better when they are kept at room temperature. You can read more tips about making your own mayonnaise here.
Another way to speed up the tartare sauce recipe is to use dried versions of dill, chives and parsley, rather than chopping up fresh herbs. If you have time, by all means go for fresh ingredients, but the dried herbs will work in a pinch.
Tartare compared to Bearnaise and Hollandaise Sauces
As I mentioned, the tartare sauce is a daughter sauce of the hollandaise. The tartare often gets confused with the béarnaise sauce which also includes herbs and is also relatively tangy in flavor. To compare the sauces, here are their major ingredients.
- Hollandaise: sauce made from egg yolks, melted butter, and lemon juice.
- Béarnaise: sauce made from butter, egg yolk, white wine vinegar, and herbs.
- Sauce Tartare: sauce made from egg yolk, chopped pickles, capers and herbs such as tarragon and dill.
Normally, the tartare sauce doesn’t include mustard, which is what differentiates it from the remoulade sauce.
French tartare sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Tartare Base
- 2 small dill pickles
- 1 tablespoon of capers
- 1 teaspoon of dried dill
- 1 tablespoon of chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon of espelette pepper or cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of fresh ground black pepper
Home-made Mayonnaise (Optional alternative is store-bought)
- 2 egg yolks
- 25 cl 1 cup of olive oil
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar, wine or apple cider
Instructions
- Chop more or less finely (to your taste) the capers and pickles.
- Mix in the chives, dill, parsley, espelette pepper, lemon juice and black pepper to make a tartare base.
- Optional: Make a mayonnaise or use store-bought. To make the mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Then combine in the olive oil, vinegar, and salt until it is smooth.
- Mix in the tartare base into the mayonnaise.
- Set aside in fridge once the tartare is smooth, and serve when ready.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve tartare sauce with?
Tartare sauce is usually served with breaded dishes like the English fish and chips. It also goes well with fried seafoods like shrimp, oysters, and fish fingers, or breaded meat like schnitzels from Alsace.
What drinks to serve with it?
A light dry white wine from the Loire like Sancerre blanc, or a Languedoc-Roussillon white will go well with dishes served with tartare sauce. You can read more about French wines here.
How to store it?
You can keep this mayonnaise in the fridge for a couple of days. If you are making your own mayonnaise, I recommend not refrigerating it or freezing it since it contains raw egg which could include bacteria.
If you are using store-bought mayonnaise, you could potentially refrigerate or freeze it since it has additives in it to keep it from separating.
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