If you are looking for a sauce that is ‘out of this world’ delicious and is the perfect compliment to your seafood dinner, then do not go any further.  The Best Tartar Sauce is creamy and full of flavor.

I’m a ‘sauce’ person.  I like a little extra flavor added to my already tasty meals.  Cheese sauce on veggies, dips for my crudité, remoulade with shrimp, and tartar sauce on my seafood.

I have to tell you, I have been quite disappointed in the ‘store bought’ bottles (or jars) of tartar sauce.  They are bland and flavorless (in my opinion).  Even the tartar sauce you find in specialty stores and the seafood department isn’t worth the time or money.  

Every time I would fix fried fish or shrimp, I would complain how bad the tartar sauce was and every time my husband would say ‘then make your own’.  I would tell him I would and then forget and complain about the next seafood dinner. So. . . I finally did it and I’m not disappointed in the least.  I’m quite impressed, if I do say so myself.

One of my favorite seafood restaurants (locally) makes the best tartar sauce so I tried to use that sauce for my base.  Is it exactly the same?  No, but I’m satisfied that it may be a little better. . . 😜

What is Tartar Sauce?

Tartar sauce is a condiment that is mayonnaise based usually served with seafood.  The typical ingredients are pickles and/or capers, herbs and lemon juice.

Of course, I can’t do anything typical so not only does The Best Tartar Sauce have dill pickles and capers but I added an aromatic (red onion), mustard and dill.  I’m telling you, this tartar is full of flavor.

Now, I normally do not like raw onion in anything but because the onions are minced in The Best Tartar Sauce and it has to be refrigerated for at least an hour, the onion really adds and nice flavor (and crunch) to the sauce without it being overpowering.

What are Capers and What Do They Taste Like?

I really like capers even though they kind of look like green peas, which I do not like at all.

Capers are the unripe flower buds of a bush called capparis spinosa.  By the time we get them in the grocery store, they are dried and preserved and then they are pickled in a brine or cured in salt.  

I think capers kind of taste like green olives because of the salty and briny flavor but they also have a little tartness to them making them not taste like a green olive.

What Do I Need to Make The Best Tartar Sauce?

You will need a cutting board, a knife, measuring spoons, measuring cup, a mixing bowl, mixing spoon and the following ingredients:

Mama Fawn’s Tips. . .

•  You can use low fat mayonnaise for this recipe.
• If you like a sweeter sauce, substitute salad dressing (Miracle Whip) for the mayonnaise.
• I like dill pickles in this tartar sauce and I really believe it’s one of the reasons it is so good, but you can use sweet pickle relish, if you prefer.  Make sure you drain the juice.
• You can find capers where they sell pickles and olives in your local grocery store.
• I would not use dried dill in this tartar sauce.  It will change the texture and taste.
• It’s important to let the tartar sauce chill in the refrigerator so all the flavors can “marry”.
• Store in a glass jar with a well fitted cap.
• It’s best to serve it within two weeks.