Try this homemade tartar sauce, and you’ll never want store-bought again. This has amazing flavor and texture with every bite. It’s perfect as a dip for fish sticks, crab cakes, or a spread for seafood sandwiches.
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Homemade Tartar Sauce
I was frustrated with store-bought tartar sauce; one disappointing can after another. Solution: homemade tarter sauce. Making your own is really easy. It’s fresh and amazing for these salmon cakes fish sticks or breaded fish fillets.
My Aunt Anna taught me how to make this Tartar Sauce recipe – she learned it in culinary school, and this is the recipe they made in their restaurant. I’ve probably made this a hundred times, and my fishstick-loving teenage son makes it regularly. It’s our go-to because it’s so easy to make, has simple ingredients and keeps really well in the fridge.
See those fish sticks in the photo – yeah, those are from Costco. Maybe one day, I’ll make my own fish sticks, but for now, these are really good (the Trident brand). Sometimes, I find that I eat more tartar sauce than fish sticks (sounds gross, but this sauce is THAT GOOD!). This recipe stays fresh in the fridge for a few days.
Tartar Sauce Video
Watch my easy video tutorial, and you’ll have this recipe memorized in no time!
Ingredients for Tartar Sauce
- Real Mayonnaise – you can use your favorite storebought mayo or homemade mayonnaise
- Dill pickles – I prefer baby dills for extra crunch since they have more surface area.
- Dill (or) Parsley – you can use fresh or frozen – it adds freshness.
- 1 tsp lemon juice – freshly squeezed is best
- 1 tsp sugar – this balances the sauce, but you can add it to taste
- Pepper – freshly cracked smells and tastes the freshest
- Onion – it’s 2 Tbsp of chopped onion, and it’s optional (I usually skip it when I’m feeling lazy to chop an onion).
How to Make Tartar Sauce
This is really complicated, so pay attention. Are you ready?…
1. Combine everything in a mixing bowl and give it a good stir. Done!
Serve Tartar Sauce With
There are so many great uses for Tartar Sauce, from a dipping sauce to sandwiches. Outside of fish sticks, we love it with:
- Crab Cakes
- Shrimp Cakes
- Fish Tacos
- Salmon Patties
- Onion Rings
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Grilled Salmon Sandwich
Storing Tartar Sauce
Homemade Tartar Sauce keeps really well in the refrigerator. Transfer to an airtight container or jar and refrigerate. It is best enjoyed within 1 week but can last up to 2 weeks.
Tartar Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- 1 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp dill, fresh or frozen, OR 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Add more lemon juice or pickles if desired.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Omg! I will never go back to prepared tarter sauce again! So easy and the deliciousness tastes 10 in my book! Thank you!
You’re very welcome! It really is so easy and good!
This tartar sauce is very good, and easy to make. I will never go back to store bought tartar sauce. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Tia. Thanks for sharing that with us!
So glad I was out out of the tartar sauce I normally use!!! We usually buy the overly-expensive homemade sauce from an Overly-Expensive seafood restaurant but we like to cook our own fresh fish, but loved their sauce. Was out of today when we decided on fish fry and broiled tonight .. but alas, I found your site, this recipe, of course so nice that ingredients are staple, on hand…and (heavy, happy sigh..) I don’t have to buy that over-priced pint of sauce Ever Again!!! This is so much fresher and I mixed a batch of dill and Polish-pickled-Dill pickles together for it. The best of all worlds and is now the go to!! Thank you, and I just signed up for your emails to stay abreast of all your new and delicious recipes 🙂
I’m so happy you found this recipe! I hope you try more soon!
Delicious! My son kept asking his girlfriend if she was just eating tartar sauce. She said, “No. I’m eating my fish too.” Then he asked if she was dipping her fries in it. “Yes.” I had to tell him to leave her alone. She could eat as much as she wanted because I can make more!
That’s great feedback, Melissa. Thanks for sharing that with us, I’m glad that they enjoyed it!
Glad to see that I’m not the only weirdo who likes tartar sauce on my french fries. 🙂 It’s also good on the breaded chicken patties I like from Costco.
Better than the store!! Love all your recipes. You are definitely my first go to when looking for a recipe. Keep them coming!! Thank you.
Thank you, Jennifer. I appreciate it! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Such a quick and delicious tartar sauce!! Better than the packaged or bottled sauces. It was the best compliment to our fish! Thank you so much Natasha for this incredible recipe! Love your YT channel. God Bless.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, AJ! I appreciate your excellent review!
Easy and sounds delicious but where are the capers?
I hate that I have to use at least 50 characters or you won’t post my comment.
Hi Gracie, we don’t have a character limit on our comments. We haven’t tried adding capers to this recipe, but several of our readers have successfully. I hope you love this recipe.
I loved the ingredients and that included the 1:1 ratio for mayo and pickles. I thought it would be way too many pickles, but it wasn’t!
However, although this recipe called for real mayo, the main difference between mayo and Miracle Whip is that MW has sugar in it. So, when I followed the recipe, the addition of sugar made the whole bowl taste like MW to me. I would definitely leave sugar out next time, and relish (haha) the tartar sauce without it. Thank you for the rest of the recipe, which is unique to me, and I will definitely try to make again.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Cannon!
I made the tarter sauce along with the salmon pattie recipe. Turned out great!! Look forward to making this again.
This is our personal favorite! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Dominic!
Super easy to make and family approved!! You can increase or decrease the ingredients as you see fit. Taste away. I did add a little garlic powder because I love garlic
Adding garlic powder sounds like a good idea. Thanks for sharing, I’m glad your family loved it!
This was PERFECT! I’ve tried to “whip up” my own without following a recipe, only to be disappointed. Thanks for posting this one.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jackie!
I made fried fish for lunch. Time to eat and realized we were out of tartar sauce so I quickly googled it and yours was the first one to pop up. I loved it! I will never buy it again. I didn’t have dill pickles so I added dill pickle relish instead. I am not allowed to have sugar so I subbed what I one pack of blue sugar. Delish! Thanks for a good simple recipe.
I’m so glad you gave this a try! I hope you try it with pickles next time, and I promise you won’t go back to the bottled tartar! Thank you for your awesome feedback.
What I used miracle whip would it taste as good?im not a fan of real mayonnaise
Hi Mitch, I haven’t tested that yet but feel free to try and do an experiment.
I live in El Salvador and NO ONE has tartar sauce, I sell sauces and you saved my life, simple, delish and feels soooo fresh! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!💖
I’m so glad you found and love my recipe, Karen! Thank you for your excellent review!
Made this to go with baked salmon. Used fresh dill sans onion. Simply amazing. I am never using store brought tartar sauce again.
I want to say thank you for the recipe. This was is exactly what I was looking for. I’ll be making this from now on. This is sooo much better than takeout or premade.
Worth the few minutes it takes to whip up.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Veronica!
You’re very welcome, Veronica. Great to hear that this will now be your go-to recipe. I hope you love all the other recipes that you will try!
That was amazing!! I not cooked shrimp, but also used it on chicken thighs… My husband commented that this was the best, most crisp shrimp he’s ever eaten… Thank you for an easy, delicious meal!!
That’s so great! Thank you for your excellent review, Elizabeth!
Usually I just finely dice an onion and use lime juice instead of lemon juice. One little secret I learned from a friend who lived in the islands is to let the onion sit in the lime juice for about 10 minutes then add in fine sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and enough Mayo to get the consistency I’m looking for. Dill, parsley, pickles, etc. are all optional for me. I think you may really enjoy this.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, John! I will have to try that out!
I really don’t like dill pickles, but I went out and bought a jar of them for this recipe. It’s delicious and I’m SO glad I did. I’ve printed the recipe and will write: “Be sure to drain chopped pickles well before combining with ingredients.” Love it!
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Janet. Glad you loved this recipe!
Sounds awesome, going to make it right now ! How long will it last in the fridge ?
Sounds good, Mel. This recipe stays fresh in the fridge for a few days.
So… I loved you from the start admitting that you use Costco fish sticks. That was what we were having (Trident panko tilapia) when I found your tartar recipe. My husband was so complimentary of the sauce and said it was way better than what I have previously bought from the store. I have to agree! So, so, so good!!!! Thanks for sharing! 😊
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Anne! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store-bought tartar sauce!