The One Ingredient That Will Improve Your Tartar Sauce Everytime

(KMDL-FM) There are two types of people in this world. Some folks love tartar sauce with their seafood, and then there is a collection of people who are not aware of what tastes good. Tartar sauce can be an acquired taste; it's not as off-putting as many see guacamole, but it does have its detractors.

I fall into the camp that thinks tartar sauce is needed, wanted, and desired around any seafood creations. I like cocktail sauce too, but for fried fish or shrimp, I really love a good tartar sauce. And the emphasis should be placed on the word good.

SanyiKumar

Tartar sauce, by design, is easy to make. It's basically mayo, dill pickles, lemon juice, maybe some pepper sauce, and a little bit of salt. There are certainly variations on that theme, but the one ingredient that almost everybody who makes bad tartar sauce fails to see doesn't show up in the ingredient list.

The One Ingredient that Great Tartar Sauce Has That Good Tartar Sauce Doesn't

This addendum, if you will, takes place after you've whisked, stirred, forked, and blended the ingredients into a tangy fresh sauce. Once the mixture has been placed in a bowl, it's got to go into the fridge for 30 minutes. That's it, that's the hack. Tartar sauce needs at least 30 minutes for the flavors to come together.

In cooking circles, it's called the Maillard reaction; it's basically the reason why gumbo tastes better the second day when compared to the first. The longer the ingredients in your tartar sauce sit together, the more amazing it will be.

alpaksoy

The fats in mayo will take some of the edge off the lemon, and if you added something like onions or capers, this also allows those flavors time to breathe.

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Other advantages of chilled tartar sauce besides the enhanced flavor: when it's cold, it's thicker. And when the tartar sauce is chilled, it really complements a piping hot piece of fish.

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And if you add some hot sauce or Cajun Power, you're pretty darn close to kicking things up to remoulade, but that might be too bougie for those of us who just like tartar sauce, and a lot of it, with our catfish.