Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

Homemade tartar sauce is so easy to make yourself. With freshly squeezed lemon and chopped dill, it tastes so much better than anything you can buy.

Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

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Tartar Sauce is essential when preparing fish or seafood recipes. The creamy, tangy taste perfectly complements crab cakes, fish and chips, or fish that is baked, grilled, or fried. Be sure to give the tartar sauce some time to chill in the refrigerator. This enhances the taste this easy tartar sauce recipe of the sauce by giving all of the flavors time to blend.

Homemade Tartar Sauce turns even boring oven baked fish sticks into a creamy delight! We came up with this recipe when we made our scrumptious Fish and Chips. We’ve tried so many store bought and restaurant served tartar sauces over the years, and we definitely prefer the zesty flavor of this homemade version. It’s all about using the freshest ingredients for this recipe. Believe us, it makes all the difference! Plus, it’s so easy to make and costs much less than most store bought brands. Give it a try for yourself; we promise you’ll love it!

What is Tartar Sauce?

Tartar sauce is a creamy condiment with a mayonnaise base (for a lower fat option, plain Greek yogurt can also be used as a base). Dill, lemon, onion powder, dill or sweet pickles (butter pickles work too), and pickle relish are added to the base to make a tangy and tart dip for fish and seafood. You can also add capers, a dash or two of extra salt or dijon mustard for additional flavor. It’s obviously a perfect side for most fish recipes, but you can also serve a small bowl of tartar sauce with vegetables to use for dip!

Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

Best Ingredients to Use for Homemade Tartar Sauce

  • For the very best flavor, use fresh squeezed lemon and fresh dill. There’s just something so fresh and light about using juice from a real lemon. For maximum juice, roll it on the counter for a few seconds before slicing in half and squeeze cut side up, to avoid getting seeds in the sauce. Or you can microwave your lemon for about 10 seconds, which really gets those tangy juices flowing.
  • Dill weed loses its freshness quickly, so if you’re purchasing dill, use it with a day or two of purchase. If you grow dill in your garden, pick it just before you plant to use it in a recipe. The dill leaves will wilt and lose their flavor if kept in the fridge too long.
  • Don’t worry about too much dill overpowering the dish. The dill weed has such a mild flavor that you can add quite a bit if you choose.
  • When chopping fresh dill leaves, remove the feathery fern-like leaves and stems from the thick center stem. Discard the stem, then use a sharp chopping knife to mince the leaves to the desired consistency.
  • If you don’t have fresh dill available, use dried dill! Be sure to crush the dill leaves between your fingers before adding to the tartar sauce, which will bring out more of the flavor.
  • Use a good quality mayonnaise; it makes a huge difference in the taste of the sauce. We really love Best Foods or Hellman’s Mayo, but use whatever you prefer.
  • If you want to make tartar sauce without mayo or miracle whip, try using plain Greek yogurt. It’ll also give it a boost of protein.
Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

More Delicious Seafood Recipes

We have lots of tasty fish and seafood dishes that you are going to love! There are so many great ways to cook up fish and use this homemade tartar sauce. Try a few of our favorites:

  • Cilantro-Lime Halibut
  • Crab Cakes
  • Easy Fish Tacos
  • Father’s Day Herb Salmon
  • Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos
  • Halibut Tacos
  • Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
  • Pecan Crusted Salmon

Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

Homemade Tartar Sauce

Homemade tartar sauce is so easy to make yourself! With freshly squeezed lemon and chopped dill, it tastes so much better than anything you can buy!

  • 1 cup mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellmann’s
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons dill pickle finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dill weed finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

  • In a medium size bowl, combine mayo, lemon juice, chopped dill pickles and dill weed, and pepper.

    Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

  • Stir until thoroughly combined.

    Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

  • Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  The longer, the better.  Flavors will get stronger with more time.

    Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

  • Stir before serving.  Great as a dip or dressing with seafood!

    Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

Serving: 1.25TbspCalories: 96kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 129mgPotassium: 7mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.1mg

Recipe for tartar sauce with dill pickles

Emily Walker

Emily lives in Meridian, Idaho, with her husband, Beau, a physician assistant, and her three incredible children: a son and two daughters. Travel is one of her favorite ways to experience new cultures and cuisines, and she has a love for all things Disney.

More about Emily Walker

Similar Recipes

What is traditional tartar sauce made of?

Tartar Sauce Ingredients It's typically made with mayonnaise, chopped pickles or relish, lemon juice, and herbs (like tarragon and dill). There are also a handful of optional ingredients you can add that take the tartar sauce's flavor to the next level.

What is Chef Ramsay's recipe for tartar sauce?

Instructions:.
For Gordon Ramsay Tartar Sauce, you want to combine 1/3 cup mayo, 2 t lemon juice, 1 t sweet pickle relish, and 1/4 t onion powder. Mix well..
Refrigerate until needed. Better if set for 20-30 minutes..

What can I use if I don't have tartar sauce?

What Is a Good Substitute for Tartar Sauce? Instead of tartar sauce, use a garlicky aioli with or without a little dill or chopped pickle. Another good sauce option that goes well with seafood is a tomato-based cocktail sauce. Hummus, which is also slightly acidic with lemon juice, can also make a nice dip for seafood.

How do you make Tarta sauce?

Combine the mayonnaise, pickles, lemon juice, capers, dill, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard in a small bowl and stir until well blended and creamy. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste then adjust with additional lemon juice, salt, and pepper.