Homemade Tartar Sauce with Pickle Relish
Whip up this easy homemade Tartar Sauce with mayo, pickle relish (dill or sweet), capers, and fresh dill. It’s the perfect blend of savory, sweet, and tangy for seafood dishes like fried fish, crab cakes, and shrimp!
Servings: 12 servings (2 tablespoons)
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's or Duke's)
- ¼ cup sweet and/or dill pickle relish (lightly but not completely drained--leave just a little bit of liquid)
- 1 tablespoon grated yellow or sweet onion (I use Vidalia)
- 1 tablespoon chopped brined non-pareil capers , drained
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ to 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- ½ to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (added to taste)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional, added to taste)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, relish, onion, capers, Dijon mustard, and 1/2 tablespoon fresh dill.
- Season to taste with lemon juice, sugar (optional), additional dill (if needed), salt (only if needed), and pepper.
- Cover the Tartar Sauce and refrigerate it for at least an hour, preferably 2-4 hours, or overnight for the flavors to meld. (It tastes better with time!)
- Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 5-7 days. Serve with your favorite seafood dishes or veggies. (See the "Serving" section in the article above for suggestions.)
Notes
Relish: Depending on how sweet vs. savory you like your Tartar Sauce, you can use all dill pickle relish, all sweet relish, or a 50/50 combination of the two (my family's favorite).
Onions: Sweet onion, like Vidalia, will add a milder onion flavor to the sauce. Yellow onion will be a bit sharper and more savory. Grate the onion on a microplane or the large holes of a box grater.
Dill, Lemon Juice, and Sugar: I've given a range for these ingredients because the amount you need will vary based on the type of relish you've used (dill vs. sweet, as well as flavor variations between brands) and your personal sweetness/tanginess preferences. Start with the smaller amounts listed of these ingredients and adjust as needed—it's always easier to add more when seasoning than to take away!
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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