Sauces

Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is mayonnaise plus whatever you chop into it, so everything depends on the prep. Gherkins and capers carry brine that leaks out over the next hour and turns the sauce into a thin slurry. Squeeze them out first and the tartar still holds its shape on a knife the following day.

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Tartar Sauce — the finished dish
Prep
15 min
Rest
30 min
Total
45 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Per serving
190 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Replace half the mayonnaise with thick Greek yoghurt for a lighter, fresher sauce that suits baked fish particularly well.

Makes: about 350 ml

Method

  1. Step 1: Dice and squeeze the gherkins

    Cut them into 3 mm dice, wrap in a cloth and wring them out firmly. That escaping brine is exactly what makes tartar sauce watery an hour later.

  2. Step 2: Tame the shallot

    Soak the diced shallot in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain. This washes out the harsh sulphurous edge and leaves the sweetness behind.

  3. Step 3: Prepare the capers

    Rinse and chop them finely. Left whole they detonate with salt in one mouthful; chopped, they spread their flavour through the whole sauce.

  4. Step 4: Bring it together

    Stir the mayonnaise with the mustard and lemon juice, then fold in the gherkins, capers, shallot and parsley.

  5. Step 5: Let it sit

    Chill for 30 minutes. The salt and acid redistribute, and what was a bowl of separate pieces starts tasting like one sauce.

  6. Step 6: Check the balance

    Taste and add pepper or another squeeze of lemon. Salt is almost never needed — the capers and gherkins have brought plenty.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    Homemade mayonnaise on sunflower oil gives the cleanest flavour. With a shop-bought jar the sauce comes out sweeter, so double the lemon.

  • Swap

    Replace half the mayonnaise with thick Greek yoghurt for a lighter, fresher sauce that suits baked fish particularly well.

  • Variation

    The French version uses tarragon and chervil instead of parsley; the English one adds a spoonful of grated horseradish for fried fish.

  • Storage

    Three days in the fridge. If liquid gathers on top, pour it off and stir — the sauce comes back together.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 6 servings
Energy190 kcal1,140 kcal
Protein1 g6 g
Fat20 g120 g
Carbohydrates2 g12 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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