The Tartar Sauce or Tartare, like many other sauces, has French origins and was created as an accompaniment to the dish of the same name made with raw meat (the Meat Tartare – in Italian – or Tartàre in French).
This delicious accompanying sauce is creamy and has a consistency similar to mayonnaise, with a base of egg yolks, both hard-boiled and fresh, emulsified with oil and white vinegar and finally flavored with capers, pickles, and parsley, sometimes also tarragon.
Preparing Tartar Sauce at home is not difficult at all; you just need a little patience to blend it with an immersion blender to prevent it from curdling (but don’t worry, at the end of the recipe there’s also a foolproof version for clumsy people like me, using store-bought mayonnaise!).
A tasty preparation suitable to accompany both meat and fish main courses, but also great for dressing salads, filling sandwiches, or spreading on canapés, and don’t forget that it is the exceptional condiment to accompany a crispy plate of Fish and Chips!
As with all traditional recipes, there are different versions. The one we will prepare today was taught to me by a French friend and is tried and true. Other variants also include a hint of mustard, tarragon, and chives, but I prefer this version because it is more delicate, making it suitable for all dishes.
Try it, and you won’t regret it. I’ll confess that I often just spread it on a slice of toasted bread.
If you love sauces with which you can prepare many enticing sandwiches or canapés, check out these recipes as well.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
- Energy 126.21 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 0.07 (g) of which sugars 0.02 (g)
- Proteins 2.10 (g)
- Fat 13.23 (g) of which saturated 2.38 (g)of which unsaturated 10.47 (g)
- Fibers 0.05 (g)
- Sodium 165.93 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 25 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (hard-boiled)
- 1 yolk (very fresh)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 tablespoon salted capers
- 1 pickles (in vinegar)
- 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- chopped parsley (half tablespoon)
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- Immersion Blender
- Bowl
- Saucepan
INSTRUCTIONS
First of all, prepare the hard-boiled eggs. Place 2 eggs in a saucepan (starting with cold water), bring them to a boil, and from that moment continue cooking for 8 minutes. Remove them from the heat and immediately run them under cold running water. Remove the shell, separate the yolks from the whites.
Put only the 2 hard-boiled yolks in the tall and narrow glass of the immersion blender, add ½ tablespoon of white wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, and start blending. At this point, add 1 raw yolk and blend again.
Start incorporating the vegetable oil in a slow stream, continuing to blend. Since there are also hard-boiled yolks, the consistency should be a bit thicker than classic mayonnaise. Finely chop the capers and the pickles with a knife.
Transfer the Tartar Sauce to a bowl and add the capers, pickles, and chopped parsley. Mix everything well to combine the ingredients. The Tartar Sauce is ready to be enjoyed!
NOTES
Please make sure to whip the tartar sauce slowly and be patient to avoid it curdling like mayonnaise.
If you want to speed up and simplify the recipe, you can modify it by starting directly with store-bought mayonnaise and adding only 2 chopped hard-boiled yolks (not the raw yolk), mix and finally add capers, pickles, and parsley. It won’t taste the same but will still be delicious.
STORAGE
The Tartar Sauce, once ready, can be stored in the fridge in a closed jar for up to 2 days.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
If you want to know the nutritional table of Tartar Sauce, read THIS article
Who invented tartar sauce?
Tartar Sauce, like many other sauces, was invented by the French who often add mustard to the preparation.
Why is tartar sauce called that?
The name of the sauce refers to the habit of the barbarians to consume raw meat (hence the name Meat Tartare or Tartare) aged and seasoned with herbs, spices, and mustard.
Where can you use tartar sauce? How is Tartar Sauce used?
Tartar Sauce is excellent for accompanying main courses of both meat and fish, but also eggs and appetizers as a dipping sauce or to dress salad instead of typical dressings, or even to fill sandwiches and wraps.
What does tartar sauce taste like?
Tartar Sauce has a slightly tangy but delicate taste.
