Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

This easy Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe comes together in 3 minutes with mayo, capers, pickles, fresh dill, and lemon juice. So much better than store-bought - and it keeps for a week.

I came across this tartar sauce a few years ago through a New York Times recipe for baked fish (from Ali Slagle), and somewhere along the way the sauce became the reason I kept making the fish. I truly think it's the best tartar sauce recipe out there. It's that good. I tweaked it a bit - swapped the tarragon for fresh dill, used lemon juice instead of zest, and traded the garlic for shallot - and now it's the tartar sauce I reach for whenever seafood is on the menu.

Here's the thing about homemade tartar sauce: it takes about three minutes to make, and it tastes so much better than anything from a jar that once you make it once, buying it starts to feel a little pointless. Capers, chopped dill and sweet pickles, fresh dill, a spoonful of Worcestershire, a squeeze of lemon - it's a simple list of ingredients that comes together into something genuinely tangy, creamy, and layered in a way that the store-bought version never quite manages. I serve it with my salmon cakes every spring, alongside air fryer cod on weeknights, and honestly, it's appeared next to the occasional fish stick too. No shame.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• So much better than a store-bought sauce. The combination of real capers, fresh dill, and chopped pickles gives this a depth and brightness that jarred tartar sauce can't replicate. Once you make it, it's hard to go back.
• Three minutes, start to finish. This quick tartar sauce is a mix-in-a-bowl recipe. There's no cooking involved - just chop, measure, and stir. Even on a busy weeknight, you can pull this together in the time it takes for something else to cook.
• Endlessly versatile. Yes, it's the classic dipping sauce for fried fish fillets and fish sandwiches. But it's also excellent with crab cakes, salmon patties, fish tacos, roasted shrimp - anything from the sea, really. And as one reader noted: leftover tartar sauce makes a surprisingly excellent egg salad the next day. (He's right!)

What Is Tartar Sauce Made Of?

Traditional tartar sauce is a cold, creamy condiment built on a mayonnaise base with chopped pickles or relish, lemon juice, and herbs. Most recipes include some combination of capers, fresh dill, parsley, onion or shallot, and a small amount of Worcestershire sauce. The result is a tangy, slightly briny dipping sauce that pairs with fish and seafood in the same way ketchup pairs with a burger - it just belongs there.

This version uses capers plus chopped dill and sweet pickles (both, not one or the other), fresh dill, minced shallot, Worcestershire, and lemon juice. It's brighter and more complex than the standard squeeze-bottle version, and it takes almost no time to make.

Key Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this recipe. Here are the main players (see the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below).

• Use real chopped pickles, not sweet relish. Relish works in a pinch, but it makes the sauce sweeter and softer than I like. Chopped pickles give you more texture and a cleaner, more assertive brine. I used a combo of dill and sweet pickles, but bread-and-butter pickles, or even one or the other (if your tastes lean a specific way) is also fine.
• Both capers and pickles. (Yes, this is a briney sauce!) A lot of tartar sauce recipes use one or the other - this one uses both, and it makes a difference. The capers bring a concentrated, slightly floral brininess that's different from what the pickles give you. Together, they create more complexity than either one alone.
• Shallot, not garlic. The original NYT recipe called for garlic, and it's great that way, too. I prefer shallot because it's milder and sweeter, and it doesn't overpower the more delicate flavors in the sauce. Finely minced is the way to go. You want it to blend in.
• Fresh dill. Dried dill will technically work, but fresh dill is so much more vibrant and aromatic. This is a no-cook sauce where the ingredients are exactly what you taste, so the quality of each one matters more than usual.
• Don't skip the Worcestershire. It sounds like a strange ingredient for a seafood sauce, but it adds a quiet, savory depth that ties everything together. One teaspoon isn't enough to taste on its own - it just rounds out the whole thing in a way that's hard to put your finger on but noticeable when it's missing.
• Mayonnaise. Use the real thing - full-fat mayonnaise is what gives this sauce its creamy, rich base. Duke's or Hellmann's are my go-to. If you want to go the extra mile, homemade mayonnaise here is genuinely outstanding, though absolutely not required.

Step 1: Add the mayonnaise, roughly chopped capers, chopped pickles, minced shallot, fresh dill, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice to a small bowl.

Step 2: Whisk everything together until well combined. Taste and adjust. Add more lemon if you want it brighter. A pinch of salt or black pepper if needed. A little more dill if you want it more herby.

Step 3: Serve immediately, or - better yet - cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors meld and develop as it chills, and it's noticeably better after that rest time.

Cook in oven for x minutes at 400 degrees

That's it. Three minutes of chopping, one minute of stirring, and you have a tartar sauce that's better than anything from the grocery store.

Expert Tips

• Chill it before serving if you have time. The 30-minute rest in the fridge isn't strictly required, but it makes a real difference. The shallot softens, the flavors come together, and the sauce goes from "good" to "genuinely great." If you're making this ahead for a dinner party, make it the morning of and refrigerate until you're ready.
• Chop the pickles and capers small but not too fine. You want texture - little bits you can actually taste - not a paste. Rough chops around ¼ inch are perfect.
• Taste as you go. Every jar of capers is a different saltiness level, and pickles vary too. Taste before you add any extra salt and adjust from there.

Variations And Substitutions

• Use bread-and-butter pickles. If you prefer a slightly sweeter, milder tartar sauce, add some bread-and-butter pickles. Or use sweet pickle relish if that's what you have - just know the texture will be softer and the flavor sweeter.
• Add a little heat. A few dashes of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne mixed in adds a subtle kick that works really well with fried fish.
• Try lemon zest instead of juice. The original recipe used lemon zest, which gives a slightly more aromatic, floral lemon flavor. Juice is more straightforward and bright - I prefer it, but zest is a great option if you want something a little different.
• Swap tarragon for the dill. The classic French preparation uses tarragon rather than dill, which gives the sauce a slightly anise-like, more herbal character. Both are excellent - tarragon is a bit more elegant, dill is a bit more classic-American.
• Make it with sour cream. Replacing about ¼ cup of the mayo with sour cream lightens the texture a bit and adds a subtle tang. Some people prefer this version - it's less rich and a little more refreshing.

Homemade Vs. Store-Bought Tartar Sauce

Store-bought tartar sauce is fine in the sense that it does the job. But if you've ever tasted it next to homemade, you know there's a gap. Jarred versions tend to be sweeter, thicker, and one-dimensional, usually relish-based with a faint dill flavor. Homemade, especially this version with both capers and chopped pickles, is brighter, more textured, and has real depth.

The other argument for making your own: it costs almost nothing and takes three minutes. If you already have mayonnaise and a jar of pickles in your fridge - which most people do - the only thing you might need to buy is capers and fresh dill. A small price to pay for a supremely better tartar sauce!

Make Ahead And Storage

• Make ahead: This sauce is actually better made ahead - up to 24 hours in the fridge before serving. The flavors deepen and mellow as it sits.
• Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. Give it a quick stir before serving, as it may separate slightly.
• Freezing: Not recommended - mayo-based sauces don't freeze well and will break when thawed.

Tartar Sauce Frequently Asked Questions

What To Serve With Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce belongs next to any of your favorite seafood dishes:

• Salmon cakes. This is the pairing I come back to most, especially in spring and summer!
• Air fryer cod. A weeknight staple, and tartar sauce is the finishing touch.
• Baked salmon in foil. A slightly more elegant take on a salmon dinner.
• Crab cakes. The classic, and this sauce is outstanding with them.
• Fish sticks. Yes, the frozen kind count (don't judge!), and this sauce makes them infinitely better.
• Baja shrimp tacos. Drizzle it on, or thin it slightly with a little extra lemon juice for a sauce
• Fish sandwiches.

Try This Tartar Sauce With Any Of These Delicious Dishes!

If you try this easy tartar sauce recipe, let me know what you think by giving it a star rating and leaving a comment - I read each and every one and love to hear from my readers!