Alton Brown Tartar Sauce Recipe: Zesty, Homemade Magic!

Tartar sauce can magically transform bland seafood into a flavor explosion with its creamy, zippy profile.

This legendary sauce carries a culinary punch that makes even simple dishes sing.

Crafted with precision, each ingredient whispers a story of gastronomic delight.

Chefs know the power of a perfectly balanced condiment that elevates ordinary meals to extraordinary experiences.

Handmade versions crush commercial alternatives with their vibrant, fresh personality.

Every carefully chosen component adds a delicate layer of complexity that dances on your palate.

Check out this recipe and unlock a world of delectable possibilities that will revolutionize your cooking adventure.

Tools for Making Alton Brown’s Tartar Sauce

• Mixing Bowl: Medium-sized vessel for combining all ingredients smoothly.
• Whisk: Essential tool for blending sauce components evenly and creating creamy texture.
• Cutting Board: Stable surface for chopping pickles, onions, and parsley with precision.
• Sharp Knife: Perfect for finely mincing ingredients and ensuring clean, even cuts.
• Measuring Spoons: Helps add precise amounts of salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
• Airtight Container: Ideal for storing sauce in refrigerator and keeping flavors fresh.
• Spoon or Spatula: Great for scraping and transferring sauce, ensuring no delicious bits are left behind.

How to Mix Alton Brown’s Tartar Sauce

Craft Tangy Ocean-Side Tartar Sauce

Whip up a zesty sauce that transforms ordinary seafood into a culinary adventure. This homemade condiment bursts with fresh flavors and takes just minutes to create.

• Chop and Combine Fresh Ingredients

Finely mince pickles, red onion, and parsley. Toss these crisp ingredients into a mixing bowl, creating a vibrant base of textures and flavors that will make your taste buds dance.

• Blend Creamy Sauce Magic

Stir mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard into the chopped ingredients. Whisk everything together until the mixture becomes smooth and perfectly blended. The key is creating a harmonious balance that tingles with tangy excitement.

• Personalize Your Flavor Profile

Taste the sauce and play with its personality. Want more brightness? Add a dash of lemon. Craving extra pickle punch? Sprinkle in more chopped pickles. Adjust seasonings until the sauce feels like your culinary masterpiece.

• Let Flavors Develop

Refrigerate the sauce for at least 15 minutes. This resting period allows ingredients to mingle and develop a deeper, more complex taste. Store in an airtight container and enjoy within five days for maximum freshness and zest.

Variations for Tartar Sauce Recipe

Mix and match ingredients to create your signature sauce that complements various dishes.

Experiment with different pickle varieties like bread-and-butter or cornichons to add unique flavor dimensions to your tartar sauce.

Swap fresh parsley with dill, chives, or tarragon to transform the sauce’s aromatic profile and give it a personal twist.

Add a dash of hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or horseradish for an extra kick that will wake up your taste buds and elevate the condiment’s complexity.

Quick Recipe Overview

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Calories: 152 kcal

Servings: 11

Ingredients Found in Alton Brown’s Tartar Sauce

• Mayonnaise: Select a high-quality, smooth mayonnaise for rich, velvety texture that enhances the sauce's overall creaminess.

• Dill Pickles, Red Onion: Choose crisp, tangy pickles and sharp red onions for a vibrant, crunchy flavor profile that adds depth and excitement.
• Parsley: Opt for fresh, bright green parsley leaves to bring a clean, herbaceous note and gorgeous color to the sauce.

• Lemon Juice, Dijon Mustard: Pick freshly squeezed lemon juice for maximum citrusy zing and a sharp, quality Dijon mustard to create a bold, tangy kick.
• Salt, Black Pepper: Use fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to elevate and balance the sauce's complex flavor landscape.

Serving Ideas for Tartar Sauce

• Pair with Seafood Delights: Drizzle this zesty tartar sauce over crispy fish and chips, grilled shrimp, or breaded calamari for an instant flavor boost.
• Fresh Dipping Companion: Use as a creamy dip for crunchy vegetable sticks, french fries, or homemade onion rings to add a tangy twist.
• Sandwich and Wrap Enhancer: Spread generously on fish sandwiches, crab cakes, or seafood wraps to elevate the overall taste and texture of your meal.
• Versatile Condiment Upgrade: Experiment by adding the sauce to burgers, as a salad dressing base, or as a unique topping for grilled chicken to surprise your taste buds.

Tartar Sauce Storage Recommendations

• Preserve Peak Freshness: Store your homemade tartar sauce in a tightly sealed glass container to maintain its vibrant flavors and creamy texture.
• Quick Refrigeration Strategy: Tuck the sauce into the coldest part of your refrigerator, where it will stay fresh and delicious for up to 5 days after preparation.
• Smart Ingredient Separation: Keep chopped pickles and herbs separate from the base sauce if you want to prep ingredients ahead of time, combining them just before serving to prevent soggy texture.
• Flavor Revival Technique: If the sauce appears slightly separated after refrigeration, simply give it a quick whisk to restore its smooth, creamy consistency and revive those zesty flavor notes.

Tangy Alton Brown Tartar Sauce Recipe

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4.6 from 9 reviews

• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 11 1x

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Description

Alton Brown’s tartar sauce elevates seafood dishes with its zesty blend of mayonnaise, pickles, and herbs. Homemade condiment ensures fresh, tangy flavor that you’ll want to drizzle on everything from fish to crispy fries.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup (240 ml/8 fl oz) mayonnaise
• 1 cup (150 g/5.3 oz) dill pickles, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps (30 ml/1 fl oz) onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp (15 ml/0.5 fl oz) dill, fresh or frozen, OR 1 tbsp (15 ml/0.5 fl oz) finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp (5 ml/0.17 fl oz) sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml/0.17 fl oz) lemon juice
• ¼ tsp (1.25 ml/0.04 fl oz) black pepper, freshly ground

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Instructions

1. Whisking: In a generously sized mixing vessel, amalgamate mayonnaise, minced cornichons, capers, shallots, fresh dill, mustard, and worcestershire sauce until thoroughly integrated.
2. Seasoning & Harmonizing: Delicately incorporate lemon juice, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper, gently folding to distribute flavors evenly and create a vibrant, zesty condiment that complements seafood dishes with its complex flavor layers.

Notes

• Pickle Precision: Choose crisp, high-quality dill pickles for maximum flavor and texture in your tartar sauce.
• Chill for Perfection: Refrigerate the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow ingredients to meld and develop a more robust taste.
• Customize with Confidence: Experiment with additional herbs like fresh dill or chopped capers to elevate the sauce’s complexity.
• Storage Savvy: Keep the tartar sauce in an airtight container and consume within 5-7 days for optimal freshness and taste.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Category: Appetizer, Snacks
• Method: Blending
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 11
• Calories: 152
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 672 mg
• Fat: 15 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 6 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 5 mg