A classic cold sauce of mayonnaise, capers, gherkins, herbs and lemon. Keep it chunky enough to feel fresh beside fried fish.
A classic cold sauce of mayonnaise, capers, gherkins, herbs and lemon. Keep it chunky enough to feel fresh beside fried fish.
Make tartare sauce when you want a reliable sauce that adds contrast, moisture and a clear flavour direction to everyday meals.
fish and chips, crab cakes, fried prawns, potato cakes
Prepare the ingredients for Tartare Sauce: chop aromatics finely, measure liquids and keep cold emulsions cold or warm sauces gently warm before combining.
Make the Tartare Sauce by whisking, blending, simmering or reducing as appropriate. Add liquids gradually and stop when the sauce is cohesive and the right thickness for spooning, dipping or drizzling.
Taste the Tartare Sauce and adjust salt, acid, sweetness and heat. Serve immediately or chill in a covered container until needed.
Store covered in the fridge for 2–4 days depending on freshness of dairy, herbs or eggs. Reheat cooked sauces gently and discard anything sour, fizzy or stale.
Make ahead where useful, then adjust salt, acid and thickness just before serving because chilling can dull flavour and thicken the texture.
Most fresh sauces do not freeze perfectly, especially emulsions and dairy sauces. Cooked gravies, reductions and fruit sauces freeze better.
Explore more guides in the same category.
A simple apple sauce cooked until soft, then mashed or blended. Keep it gently sharp so it lifts pork and rich roasts.
A reduced balsamic vinegar glaze used in thin drizzles. Stop when it coats a spoon because it thickens further as it cools.
A sticky BBQ glaze built from ketchup or tomato, vinegar, sugar, spice and smoke. Reduce only until glossy so it brushes wel…
A northern Italian green sauce of basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and olive oil. Pound or pulse gently so the basil stays f…
A classic French derivative of hollandaise flavoured with tarragon and shallot vinegar reduction. It should be buttery but c…
A French mother sauce made from butter, flour and milk. Cook the roux briefly, then add milk gradually to prevent lumps.
A French butter sauce made by reducing wine, vinegar and shallot before whisking in cold butter. Keep it warm, not hot, so i…
A Chinese-style sauce built from fermented black beans, garlic, ginger and soy. It should be salty, savoury and aromatic.