Homemade Tartar Sauce is a creamy and tasty dipping sauce, a white egg-based sauce flavored with pickles, parsley, tarragon and capers, ideal for spreading on canapés and soft sandwiches at a party buffet, or for use in cooking in combination with meat or fish-based main dishes.
To prepare it simply blend the hard-boiled egg yolks with a splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a grind of pepper. Then, fold in the very fresh egg yolks and emulsify everything with a whisk, either electric or by hand, gradually adding the seed oil needed to obtain a thick mayonnaise. Then, add the pickles and the desalted, chopped capers to the mixture, flavoring it all with a mix of chopped aromatic herbs, especially parsley and tarragon, and voilà: the result will be a delicious and velvety sauce, ideal for enjoying with meat burgers, steamed prawns, or as a brunch paired with vegetable crudités and potato chips.
Tartar Sauce Origins
Tartar sauce has a long and somewhat debated history, with its origins typically traced back to France in the 19th century. The sauce’s name is often linked to the Tatar people from the Mongolian Empire, who were said to have eaten a version of the sauce with their raw meat dishes, though this connection is more folklore than fact.
The modern version we know today, made from mayonnaise, pickles, capers, and herbs, likely evolved in France, where it became a popular accompaniment to fish dishes. By the late 19th century, tartar sauce had crossed the Atlantic to the United States, where it became a staple of fried seafood cuisine, particularly with fish and chips. Over time, various regional variations have emerged, but its creamy, tangy, and slightly sharp profile has remained beloved worldwide.
Tartar Sauce Variations
If you wish, as some variations allow, you can add to the rest of the ingredients a mixture of green olives, a few chives, a sprinkling of chervil or a teaspoon of mustard, or you can give the preparation a brighter color with a pinch of turmeric.
Ingredients
How to Make Tartar Sauce
First, cook the eggs in a saucepan with lightly salted boiling water for about 12 minutes, then drain them and transfer them to a bowl of water and ice: this will stop the cooking and make it easier to peel them.
First, cook the eggs in a saucepan with lightly salted boiling water for about 12 minutes, then drain them and transfer them to a bowl of water and ice: this will stop the cooking and make it easier to peel them.
Shell the hard-boiled eggs.
Shell the hard-boiled eggs.
Divide them in half and remove the yolks.
Divide them in half and remove the yolks.
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl with the white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper, then mash them with the prongs of a fork until they become a cream.
Place the egg yolks in a large bowl with the white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper, then mash them with the prongs of a fork until they become a cream.
Incorporate the fresh egg yolks.
Incorporate the fresh egg yolks.
Pour in the seed oil and mix everything well with a hand whisk or with a pair of electric whisks.
Pour in the seed oil and mix everything well with a hand whisk or with a pair of electric whisks.
At the end, you should get a sort of creamy mayonnaise.
At the end, you should get a sort of creamy mayonnaise.
At this point, add the capers and the pickled gherkins chopped with a knife to the sauce, then flavor with the chopped aromatic herbs.
At this point, add the capers and the pickled gherkins chopped with a knife to the sauce, then flavor with the chopped aromatic herbs.
Continue working until you obtain a creamy and homogeneous mixture.
Continue working until you obtain a creamy and homogeneous mixture.
Spread the tartar sauce in a small bowl, garnish with a parsley leaf, bring to the table and serve.
Spread the tartar sauce in a small bowl, garnish with a parsley leaf, bring to the table and serve.
Storage Instructions
If you have any leftover tartar sauce, its shelf life in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
;Resize,width=767;)
