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Tartare sauce

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Sauce tartare

Creamy mayonnaise packed with chopped gherkins, capers, shallot and herbs and sharpened with lemon — the classic partner for fish and chips and fried seafood.

Tartare sauce is a British sauce from France, ready in about 25 minutes and made with mayonnaise, dill pickles and capers. It serves 8 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
8
Level
Beginner
Calories
130

Ingredients

8 servings (about 30 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Finely chop the gherkins (opens in a new tab), capers (opens in a new tab), shallot (opens in a new tab) and herbs; squeeze the chopped gherkins in a paper towel so the sauce isn't watery.

    An onion being chopped on a board
    How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Stir them into the mayonnaise (opens in a new tab) with the lemon juice (opens in a new tab), mustard, salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

  3. Step 3

    Chill for 15 minutes so the flavours blend. Taste and adjust lemon.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
France · Commonly attributedA French classic derived from mayonnaise; today strongly associated with British fish and chips and American fried seafood.Also popular in United Kingdom, United States, IrelandMore food from France
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
No-cook
Taste
tangy, creamy, herby, salty
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Lacto-vegetarian, Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Mayonnaise · Dill pickles · Capers · Shallot · Parsley · Lemon juice
Techniques
Knife skills

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom mayonnaise
  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom mayonnaise, dill pickles, prepared mustard
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

130 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 29 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 1%
  • Carbohydrate 2%
  • Fat 97%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy130 kcal453 kcal
Protein0.3 g1 g
Carbohydrate0.7 g2.6 g
Net carbohydrate0.6 g2 g
Sugars0.3 g1.2 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.2 g0.6 g
Fat14.1 g48.9 g
Saturated fat2.2 g7.7 g
Trans fat0 g0.1 g
Cholesterol8 mg27 mg
Sodium222 mg771 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g1.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
21 mg
Calcium
6 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Magnesium
2 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
5 µg
Vitamin C
1 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
3 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: tarragon (fresh), dill, prepared mustard.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Make it an hour ahead so the capers and gherkins season the mayonnaise.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving the chopped gherkins wet, which makes the sauce runny.

Serve with

  • Fish and chips
  • Fish fingers, scampi or fried clams
  • Crab cakes

Food safety

  • Contains raw or lightly cooked egg yolk. Use pasteurised eggs for pregnant people, babies, young children, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system; keep refrigerated and use within the stated time.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days (2 days if made with homemade raw-egg mayonnaise).

Variations

  • Sauce gribiche (France): A French cousin made with hard-boiled egg yolks emulsified with oil, plus the chopped whites, gherkins and herbs.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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