How to Make Your Own Tartar Sauce

Serve tartar sauce with fried fish.

Tartar sauce, a thick white sauce made with a mayonnaise base, frequently accompanies fried seafood dishes. It also adds flavor and texture to tuna salad or seafood salad, and it makes an excellent sandwich spread or vegetable dip. Tartar sauce recipes vary widely and may contain finely chopped pickled cucumber, capers, chives or fresh parsley. If you don't have any in your fridge, making some from scratch takes just a few minutes.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup pickle juice
• Small bowl
• Spoon
• Small onion
• 2 small sweet or dill pickles
• Knife
• Paprika (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix mayonnaise, vinegar and pickle juice in a small bowl.

2. Chop the onion and pickles into a fine mince.

3. Stir the pickles and onions into the mayonnaise mixture.

4. Refrigerate for one hour to firm the mixture. Sprinkle with paprika for color, if you wish.

Tips & Warnings

• If the tartar sauce is too runny for your taste, stir in a teaspoon of mayonnaise to thicken.

References

• Joy of Cooking; Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker et al.