This easy homemade tartar sauce—made with creamy mayonnaise, pickle relish, briny capers, and fresh dill—delivers a balanced blend of savory, sweet, and tangy flavors. It’s perfect with fried fish, crab cakes, shrimp, and other seafood for a restaurant-quality finish at home.
Prefer a less sweet tartar sauce? Try a tangier version made with sharp, briny cornichons for a bolder flavor.
About This Recipe
In about 10 minutes of hands-on prep (plus chilling), you can make a classic homemade tartar sauce that far outshines store-bought versions. This simple, versatile recipe uses eight common ingredients and is easy to customize to your taste—milder and sweeter with sweet relish, or brighter and tangier with dill relish or cornichons.
How to Make Homemade Tartar Sauce
Prep Your Add-Ins
Prep a few small components before you mix the sauce so everything blends evenly.
- Chop: Trim and finely chop the feathery dill fronds and drain the brined capers.
- Grate: Grate a peeled wedge of onion on a coarse microplane or the large holes of a box grater so it melts into the sauce. Sweet onions (like Vidalia) are milder; use yellow onion for a sharper bite.
- Drain: Lightly drain relish if it’s unusually watery—leave a little liquid for flavor but avoid making the sauce runny.
- Measure: Use a quality mayonnaise as the base and measure the Dijon mustard as directed. A good mayo (such as Duke’s or Hellmann’s) makes a noticeable difference in flavor.
Sweet vs. Dill Relish: Which to Choose?
Sweet pickle relish softens and sweetens the sauce, while dill relish gives it a tangier, more savory profile. A 50/50 blend of sweet and dill relishes often provides the best balance.
Mix and Season the Sauce
In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the chosen relish, chopped capers, grated onion, chopped dill, and Dijon mustard. Stir until everything is evenly incorporated.
Finish by seasoning with freshly squeezed lemon juice, a small amount of granulated sugar if you want a touch of sweetness, extra dill if needed, and freshly ground black pepper. Because capers and dill relish can add saltiness, taste before adding kosher salt and add only if necessary.
Cover and refrigerate the sauce for at least an hour so the flavors can meld—2–4 hours is ideal and overnight is even better. Stored in a sealed jar or container, the tartar sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 5–7 days.
Variations
- Swap relish for small-diced dill pickles, sweet bread-and-butter pickles, or a mix of both.
- Use dried dill (about one-third the amount of fresh) or experiment with other chopped herbs like parsley or tarragon.
- Add a touch of heat by choosing a sweet-spicy pickle relish.
- For a lighter sauce, use reduced-fat mayonnaise; note it may be slightly thinner in texture.
What to Serve with Homemade Tartar Sauce
- Fish and Chips: Crispy battered or breaded fish with fries tastes great with a generous dollop of tartar sauce.
- Crab Cakes or Salmon Cakes: A classic accompaniment for seafood cakes and patties.
- Shellfish: Use it as an alternative to cocktail sauce for fried shrimp, calamari, oysters, clams, or scallops. It also pairs well with poached or air-fried shrimp.
- Fish Sandwiches: Spread on fried or grilled fish sandwiches for a bright, creamy finish.
- With Salmon: Serve alongside oven-baked, poached, or pan-seared salmon for added flavor contrast.
- With Veggies: Try it as a dip for breaded cauliflower, fried zucchini, or other crispy vegetables.
More Dipping Sauces:
- Creamy cilantro-lime sauce
- Homemade tzatziki
- Honey mustard dipping sauce
- Buttermilk blue cheese dressing
- Classic comeback sauce
Hungry for more? Explore more dipping sauce ideas to pair with your favorite dishes.
Homemade Tartar Sauce with Pickle Relish
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s)
- ¼ cup sweet and/or dill pickle relish (lightly but not completely drained—leave just a little bit of liquid)
- 1 tablespoon grated yellow or sweet onion (Vidalia is a mild choice)
- 1 tablespoon chopped brined non-pareil capers , drained
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ to 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- ½ to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional, to taste)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, relish, grated onion, capers, Dijon mustard, and ½ tablespoon fresh dill.
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Season to taste with lemon juice, a pinch of sugar if desired, more dill if needed, and freshly ground black pepper. Add salt only if required after tasting.
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Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 2–4 hours or overnight, to let the flavors meld.
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Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for 5–7 days. Serve with seafood, sandwiches, or vegetables.
Notes
Onions: Grate sweet onion for a milder note or yellow onion for more bite; a microplane or box grater works well.
Dill, Lemon, and Sugar: Quantities are given as ranges because the exact amounts depend on the relish you choose and your taste. Start with the smaller amounts and adjust upward as needed.
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline only.
Recipes use US customary measurements and have not been tested for high-altitude cooking.