Homemade Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is a thick, white, creamy sauce that uses mayonnaise as the main ingredient, along with finely chopped onions, pickles and capers, etc. Tartar sauce is usually served with fried foods, especially fried seafood.

Tartar sauce is believed to have been created by the French, who used it as a sauce for steak tartare, a popular dish made out of thinly chopped raw steak. Vinegar, mustard or Worcestershire sauce can also be added to give the sauce a sharper flavor. Tartar sauce is very simple and can be made at home.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon onion, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the mayonnaise, finely chopped parsley, onion properly till they combine well. Chop the hard-boiled egg and capers finely and add it to the mixture. Blend the ingredients together till it forms a thick sauce. For a thinner sauce, stir in the lemon juice and whisk thoroughly. For a different flavor, add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Salt to taste

Method
Take a medium bowl and mix mayonnaise, minced onion and sweet pickle relish and stir it with a wooden spoon till the ingredients combine properly. Add the lemon juice, pepper and salt to taste and blend well. Keep this sauce in the refrigerator for about one hour.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
• 1 tablespoon chopped capers
• 1 teaspoon grated onion
• 1½ tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Method
In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, pickle relish, olives and onion and mix them together. Stir in the remaining ingredients till they are well blended. Sprinkle ground cayenne pepper and refrigerate this dish for about 1½ hours before serving. For a variation in taste, you can use dill pickle instead of sweet relish pickle.

Ingredients for Fish

• 2 to 3 pounds fish fillets, cut into serving-size pieces
• 2 cups biscuit mix
• 2 cups beer
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon pepper

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt to taste

Ingredients for Tartar Sauce

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons dill relish
• 1 teaspoon minced onion (green or white)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Method
In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, pepper and salt and blend well. Now add the beer and beaten eggs and stir well. Cut the fish of your choice (salmon, trout or halibut) into fillets. Dredge the fillets in the biscuit mix and coat them with the prepared batter. Keep this coated fish in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so that the fish is marinated.

Heat 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a deep skillet and fry 3 fillets in the oil for about 5 minutes, till the fish turns golden brown. Place these fried fillets on a paper towel to drain out excess oil. For the sauce, blend all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and refrigerate it for about one hour. Garnish the sauce with freshly chopped parsley and serve with fried fish fillets.

Before using tartar sauce, blend it properly and refrigerate it for at least one hour to enhance the taste of the sauce. Try these recipes for tartar sauce and enjoy it with your evening snack.