Requiring just 3 simple ingredients, one dish and about 1 minute of time, this creamy, tangy and easy tartar sauce recipe is here to jazz up all of your favorite seafood dishes. Making your own tartar sauce is not only simple, but since you can yield so much from buying these 3 very affordable ingredients, you are saving money rather than buy it pre-made from the grocery store.
Pairing a sauce with your weeknight dinner menu, especially when it is seafood, can be just as simple as making this quick tartar sauce. It is an excellent pair to fish fillets or fish fillet sandwiches. This creamy condiment is so much more fresh when made from home, after one meal with it, you will never want store bought tartar sauce again.
This recipe is perfect to serve at summer barbecues, especially if you are adding a fresh fish element to the menu. This can be great for Memorial Day weekend, July 4th weekend or Labor Day weekend parties. It could also be fun to add to a fish fry themed party over the summer. This homemade sauce is also great to smear on top of crab cakes for a delicious and simple weeknight dinner.
This was inspired by my dijonnaise sauce on this site.
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Ingredients
The best tartar sauce recipe should be simple and sweet. The sweetness comes from the sweet relish which compliments with the creamy mayonnaise. Originally, I made my tartar sauce using just these 2 ingredients but then I added fresh lemon juice and the slight acidic flavor that is added to the dish balances out the sweet and creamy flavors perfectly.
- mayonnaise
- sweet pickle relish
- lemon juice
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Add mayonnaise into a small bowl.
- Step 2: Add sweet relish to the bowl with the mayonnaise.
- Step 3: Juice the fresh lemon into the bowl.
- Step 4: Mix well. Serve immediately or save for later.
Hint: want to spice things up? Add some cayenne pepper for a little heat.
What does this easy homemade tartar sauce recipe pair well with?
- topping for fried fish or fish and chips dish
- dipping sauce for fish sticks or chicken tenders
- sauce for a beer-battered fish filet sandwich
- a topping for crab cakes or salmon cakes
Substitutions
- Sweet Relish - instead of sweet relish, cut up sweet pickles on your own and add it to the sauce
- Lemon - use lemon concentrate or store bought lemon juice instead of juicing a fresh lemon
- Mayonnaise - use sour cream or greek yogurt. This will chance the texture and flavor of the sauce slightly
Variations
- Spicy - add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add a pop of heat
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce - a mayonnaise based sauce with horseradish instead of pickle relish
See this Creamy Horseradish sauce recipe on my website!
Equipment
To make this recipe you will need a small bowl, measuring cups and spoons, and a lemon juicer.
How to Store this 3 ingredient Tartar Sauce
Store the tartar sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. Good for up to one week.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing. Mayonnaise based sauces should never be frozen because it will completely change the texture of the sauce. Once thawed, the sauce will no longer be creamy.
Top Tip
Do not substitute out the sweet relish for dill relish or dill pickles. The dill pickle relish completely alters the flavor and will take over the sauce. I have tried swapping out sweet relish for dill relish to test if it would be a good swap and it completely changed the flavor of the fish I was eating it with, and not in a good way.
FAQ
You can, but I highly suggest not to, this will completely change the flavor of your tarter sauce. I suggest only using sweet relish or butter pickles.
Absolutely, I just don't find it necessary. Some suggested seasonings to add would be garlic powder or onion powder. Both are mild seasonings that will not alter the flavor too much of this traditional tartar sauce.
This recipe takes about 2 minutes to make. It is a very quick and easy recipe making it easy to prep and pair with dinner even when you have little time.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this tartar sauce:
📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade 3-ingredient Tartar Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Lemon Juicer
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sweet relish
- ½ lemon juiced
Instructions
- Add mayonnaise into a small bowl.
- Add sweet relish to the bowl with the mayonnaise.
- Juice the fresh lemon into the bowl.
- Mix well.
- Serve immediately or save for later.
Notes
- save leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- if you do not have a lemon, lemon juice concentrate can be used.
- this sauce pairs well with fried fish or crab cakes.
- do not replace sweet relish with dill relish, it will completely change the flavor.
Nutrition
If you have any questions about how to make this tartar sauce recipe or need other sauce recipe suggestions, leave a comment below!
River says
This tartar sauce is so easy to make and so much better than store bought. Totally worth doing!
Alicia Moyer says
Thank you so much!
Alicia says
Love that this is only 3 ingredients!
Alicia Moyer says
Thank you! We love a simple sauce over here!