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Tartar Sauce

Finely diced pickles, briny capers, fresh dill, and lemon make a creamy tartar sauce with a clean, lively finish.
Creamy tartar sauce with finely diced pickles, capers, and fresh dill in a ceramic bowl.

Tartar sauce depends on contrast: cool mayonnaise carries sharp pickle, caper, shallot, and herbs. Small, evenly cut pieces spread that flavor through every spoonful without making the sauce chunky.

Cut for an even texture

Finely dicing the pickles and mincing the capers and shallot keeps their flavor present without overwhelming the mayonnaise. A similar cut also helps the ingredients suspend evenly instead of collecting at the bottom of the bowl.

Remove excess pickle brine

Pickle brine is flavorful, but too much thins the sauce and can make its acidity difficult to control. Press the diced pickles gently in a sieve and blot them dry before folding them into the base.

Finely chopped pickles, capers, shallot, and dill are being folded into mayonnaise.
Finely chopped pickles and herbs are folded into the seasoned mayonnaise base.

Give the flavors time

A short covered rest in the refrigerator lets the shallot soften and gives the dill, lemon, and capers time to season the mayonnaise. Chilling also makes the sauce easier to spoon and serve.

Adjust after chilling

Taste the sauce after it rests, when the sharp ingredients have settled into the creamy base. Add lemon juice for a brighter edge or a little salt for more definition, then stir and taste again before serving.

A close spoonful shows tartar sauce with fine pickle, caper, shallot, and dill pieces.
The finished sauce is creamy with fine, evenly distributed pieces of pickle, caper, and dill.

Tartar Sauce

8 servings
35 minutes total

Ingredients

  • •  1 cup mayonnaise
  • •  1/3 cup dill pickles, drained and finely diced
  • •  1 tbsp capers, drained and minced
  • •  1 tbsp shallot, minced
  • •  1 tbsp lemon juice
  • •  1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
  • •  1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
  • •  1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • •  1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Drain and dice the pickles

    Set the finely diced dill pickles in a small sieve and press gently with the back of a spoon, then blot them dry; keep the pieces small and even, about 1/8 inch, so they distribute through the creamy base.

    Look for: The pickle pieces look moist but no longer release visible brine when pressed.

  2. Prepare the briny aromatics

    Drain and finely mince the capers, then mince the shallot to a similar small size; smaller pieces keep each bite balanced instead of sharply oniony or salty.

    Look for: The capers and shallot are finely chopped with no large pieces remaining.

  3. Chop the dill and lemon

    Finely chop the fresh dill, grate the lemon zest, and measure the lemon juice; keep the zest free of bitter white pith and reserve the measured juice for mixing.

    Look for: The dill is fragrant and the zest is bright yellow without white pith.

  4. Season the mayonnaise

    Stir the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, kosher salt, and black pepper in a bowl until smooth, scraping the sides so the seasoning is evenly dispersed.

    Look for: The mayonnaise is smooth and the lemon zest is distributed throughout.

  5. Fold in the chopped ingredients

    Fold in the drained dill pickles, capers, shallot, and fresh dill until the pieces are suspended evenly; use a spatula and stop once mixed to keep the sauce thick rather than loose.

    Look for: Pickle, caper, shallot, and dill pieces are evenly spread through a creamy sauce.

  6. Rest the sauce

    Cover the bowl and refrigerate the tartar sauce for 20 minutes so the shallot mellows and the dill and lemon flavor the mayonnaise.

    Look for: The sauce is chilled and its sharp shallot aroma has softened.

  7. Rebalance the seasoning

    Taste the chilled sauce and adjust with a little more lemon juice for brightness or kosher salt for definition, stirring after each addition; keep the balance tangy, briny, and creamy.

    Look for: The flavor is bright and savory without masking the fresh dill or mayonnaise.

  8. Serve or keep chilled

    Spoon the tartar sauce into a serving bowl and keep it refrigerated until serving; offer it with fish or vegetables as optional pairings, or use it anywhere a cool, tangy condiment fits.

    Look for: The sauce holds soft spoonfuls and remains creamy rather than watery.