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This amazing homemade Tartar Sauce will elevate anything you spread it on or dip into it. Seafood dishes, potatoes, and sandwiches are all instantly transformed with this simple tartar sauce recipe!
This homemade tartar sauce is truly something special! Ready in just minutes with almost zero prep, the taste is incredible. You’ll find yourself making certain foods just to add this sauce on top.
Our family takes tartar sauce very seriously. This recipe is my uncle’s and he has been kind enough to let me share it with the masses. Make it once, and you too will become a family legend.
Slather some of this tartar onto our canned salmon burgers and go live your best life.
This recipe has:
- Mayo – use your favorite or make some homemade mayo.
- Dill relish – storebought or homemade dill pickle relish.
- Dried dill (this is my favorite brand)
- Fresh lemon juice – the bottled stuff often adds a bitter aftertaste.
- Onion – I highly recommend yellow or white onions.
If you have any leftover fresh lemons after making this recipe, check out our post on how to freeze lemons.
Storage Instructions
Store homemade tartar in the fridge in an airtight container with a lid. This sauce stays fresh for 3-4 weeks.
This recipe makes just about a pint, so I prefer to use a wide-mouth pint or pint-and-a-half canning jar to store mine, along with a screw-on lid. Write the date it was mixed on the lid with a dry-erase marker.
Tartar sauce must be stored in the fridge. It is not safe at room temperature for more than ~30 minutes. If you’re planning to serve this at a party/BBQ, consider placing the storage container nested in a bowl of ice.
Expert Tips
- Include any brine (juices) from the jar of dill relish.
- I do not recommend using purple/red or green onions. Over time, the onion will discolor the sauce.
- If you’re making a huge batch of this sauce, try pulsing the onions in a food processor.
- Fresh lemon juice adds a delicious flavor but if that’s not your jam, that’s ok. You can sub in plain white vinegar instead of the lemon juice.
Homemade Tartar Sauce (Special Family Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz mayo {1 pint}
- 10 oz dill pickle relish
- 3/4 cup white onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1.5 tsp dried dill
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion to a similar consistency as the relish.3/4 cup white onion, finely diced
- Add all ingredients, including the juices/brine from the relish, in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.16 oz mayo, 10 oz dill pickle relish, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1.5 tsp dried dill, 3/4 cup white onion, finely diced
- Transfer to a container with a lid and store in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.
Notes
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.
- I use a dry-erase marker on the container’s lid to note the date I mixed up a batch.
- Some separation is natural in the tartar sauce, and that mainly comes from lemon juice and onion. Stir to combine before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
