Tartar Sauce

Re:Tartar Sauce (MellowRoast)

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:46:26 GMT

Ann, that sounds delicious. I'm going to try it. I've been known to take my own tartar sauce to restaurants that serve great seafood but give you those crummy Kraft tartar packets. (Nothing worse than sweet tartar sauce.)

Re:Tartar Sauce (DawnT)

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:33:04 GMT

MiamiDon

Dawn, at La Camaronera (and on the Fish Box truck) they serve what in my mind I think of as cuban tartar sauce: Mayo, pickle relish (not a lot) and a LOT of vinegar - I think it is industrial white vinegar. It is really very tart. Not at all sweet. Have you run into this before? Or is it just them?

No I haven't Don. Short of using acetic acid, I wonder what he's doing if it's that vinegary. Most of the tartar-like sauces that I've had in the dives on 8th street and Flagler have been pretty much a seasoned mayo. If there were any solids, like you say, they were sparse and most looked like parsely. The tastes were strongly citrus and/or capers. Most vinegars are about 5%. Maybe he's using a foodservice grade spirit vinegar or pickling vinegar to get that acidity or maybe a brine from one of the other pickled products he's using. I'd wonder about the stabiliity of the mayo base at that acidity though. I'd also wonder if the mayo base is a blender based mayo he's doing himself.

Re:Tartar Sauce (ann peeples)

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:17:24 GMT

I make my tartar sauce with mayo, chopped dill pickle and dill pickle juice. No sweetness at all. We love it.

Re:Tartar Sauce (MiamiDon)

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 13:01:21 GMT

Dawn, at La Camaronera (and on the Fish Box truck) they serve what in my mind I think of as cuban tartar sauce: Mayo, pickle relish (not a lot) and a LOT of vinegar - I think it is industrial white vinegar. It is really very tart. Not at all sweet. Have you run into this before? Or is it just them?

Re:Tartar Sauce (DawnT)

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:06:34 GMT

I threw together a test batch by eye just to see if it hit any notes. You can't evaluate the taste and texture properly for at least 8 hours. The taste I remember is there, but the texture of what I made was wrong. I didn't want to work from a head of cabbage and bought a small bag of angel hair shredded cabbage for the small batch convenience. That was a mistake. So was the mayo. Too much and the Kraft brand was much too salty. What I remember was a texture close to double cut slaw. Conspicuous green that probably was from the outer leaves. The dill relish that I used was very mushy too. My bet for the times was the vegetables and whole pickles were probably run through a bull chopper. I did mine in a regular food processor and ended up with too fine of chop.

Re:Tartar Sauce (MellowRoast)

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:53:02 GMT

That sounds very similar to the tartar sauce from Winona, Minnesota, Mose’s Fish Shop Tartar Sauce, which is made of mayonnaise, turnip greens, capers, and dill weed. http://www.mosestartarsauce.com/

Re:Tartar Sauce (DawnT)

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:20:14 GMT

Well, I may have discovered what the old style tartar sauce was made of in these parts during the 50's and 60's. Thanks to an old friend of my Dad's who was a charter boat captain that used to also fish for his own restaurant. From what he told me, the base of the tartar sauces back then was nothing but very finely chopped cabbage and onion and then dill relish and heavy mayo was folded in to consistancy. Other flavors such as capers, lemon juice, green pepper, even almond extract were often added as variations. This combination created the crunchy, unsweet texture that I initally described and sure sounds like what I remember.

Re:Tartar Sauce (PapaJoe8)

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:26:44 GMT

Sounds good Russ! Kinda like Tartar Al Pastor... kinda sorta.
Joe

Re:Tartar Sauce (Russ Jackson)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:55:18 GMT

Cut some pineapple rings about 1/4 inch and grill them until they dry out a little and get a char. Then dice them up fine and add some fresh diced jalapenos. Then add some diced pickled cherry peppers. Add some lime juice and mix in the Mayonnaise. You can also add some fresh dill or substitute the Jalapeno with Habenero or Serrano...Russ

Re:Tartar Sauce (PapaJoe8)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:33:28 GMT

Twin, my old bud "Dirty Bob" started Aw Shucks but RIP passed away back in 2003. If he was still around I could get the sauce recipe.

I'm w/ 6star about the mayo and dill relish although to make it Texas Style add some chopped pickled jalapenos and a bit of lime juice.

Another variation is to use Claussen relish instead of regular dill.
Joe

Re:Tartar Sauce (gregys)

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:36:54 GMT

Michael Hoffman

Mayonnaise, pickle relish, fresh dill, lemon juice.

I tried making some the other day WITH Horseradish !

For shrimp I like ketchup and horseradish.
Maybe a little Habenero pepper mixed in.
Always use NO SALT ketchup. It tastes better. Try it.

I also like plain yellow mustard on fries.

Re:Tartar Sauce (carollwdls)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:45:11 GMT

Wow, there are some great tartar sauce versions here. I will definitely be trying them out! I too prefer a sauce that's not so sweet. TWillow, I have eaten at Big Shucks & Aw shucks, but never ordered anything that came with tartar sauce. Now I'm hankering to go there & try it out. Hmmmm... maybe we should see how many RF'ers live in/around Dallas & have a get together! I get jealous reading about all the good times other RF'ers have in cities far away!

Re:Tartar Sauce (BillyB)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:50:35 GMT

BillyB

Mayo
Dill Pickle Relish or chopped dill pickles
Granulated Garlic
Lemon juice
Chopped onion
Worcestershire sauce

I think in most cases it was always easier to find Sweet pickle relish. There is a Fish and chip house in Mexico, the Fried fish is real good but the tartar sauce is so bad I have to bring my own.

Re:Tartar Sauce (BillyB)

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:48:27 GMT

Mayo
Dill Pickle Relish or chopped dill pickles
Granulated Garlic
Lemon juice
Chopped onion
Worcestershire sauce

I think in most cases it was always easier to find Sweet pickle relish. Billyb

Re:Tartar Sauce (Twinwillow)

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:32:18 GMT

mland520

TwinWillow- since I have not eaten at either of those establishments- I have no idea if mine tastes like theirs or not, but would love to find out. I do not like the "sweet" version that you get at so many of the local fish serving places.
In my area the dill relish can be found, usually on the top shelf in the pickle aisle. Heize makes one, Best Maid, and also there are several house brands to chose from. Any or all are quite acceptable. My sister-in-law turned me on to this type of recipe- I added the sour cream on my own- makes a lighter sauce and with the lemon juice and the relish there is enough acid in it to have it keep well for a very long time! Really good on fish tacos too!

You've got to try eating at one of the Big Shucks or, Aw Shucks. Their tarter sauce is tangy not sweet.
There is a Big Shucks on Coit Road in Richardson in front of the Wholefoods store, a Big Shucks on Mockingbird between Skillman and Abrams and the original, Aw Shucks on Greenville Avenue across from the Grenada theater.

Re:Tartar Sauce (6star)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:49:35 GMT

seafarer john

What is dill relish? And can you give me a brand name?

Cheers, John

Vlasic puts out both a Sweet Relish and a Dill Relish.

Sweet Relish picture:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10308923

Dill Relish picture:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10308958

Re:Tartar Sauce (mland520)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:36:39 GMT

TwinWillow- since I have not eaten at either of those establishments- I have no idea if mine tastes like theirs or not, but would love to find out. I do not like the "sweet" version that you get at so many of the local fish serving places.
In my area the dill relish can be found, usually on the top shelf in the pickle aisle. Heize makes one, Best Maid, and also there are several house brands to chose from. Any or all are quite acceptable. My sister-in-law turned me on to this type of recipe- I added the sour cream on my own- makes a lighter sauce and with the lemon juice and the relish there is enough acid in it to have it keep well for a very long time! Really good on fish tacos too!

Re:Tartar Sauce (DawnT)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:41:04 GMT

Looks just like regular relish John, just made with dill pickles and not sweet. Down here we have Mount Olive and store brands.

http://www.mtolivepickles.com/products/product-styles/dill-relish

Re:Tartar Sauce (seafarer john)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:21:52 GMT

What is dill relish? And can you give me a brand name?

Cheers, John

Re:Tartar Sauce (BelleReve)

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:32:06 GMT

I make mine similar to what others have mentioned - finely chopped celery and onion, dill relish, lemon juice, and mayo. I really think the lemon juice is a must, and though I never thought of it, I had some tartar sauce recently at a restaurant, and I think they might have put a clove of garlic through a press and added to what tasted like the same ingredients I mentioned - Never thought about garlic, but it was a nice touch.

Re:Tartar Sauce (tcrouzer)

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:00:21 GMT

My own recipe has mayo, sweet pickle relish, a little minced onion, a dab of yellow mustard, a spoonful of the relish juice, and finely chopped salad olives. That's the way I like it, but I will have to try a dill sauce next time.

Re:Tartar Sauce (Twinwillow)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:17 GMT

I love tarter sauce. But, I can never make it as good as the tarter sauce they serve at "Big Shucks" in Dallas.
I love their tarter sauce on all their fried seafood dishes.

"mland520", is your sauce like the sauce served at "Aw Shucks" and "Big Shucks" in Dallas?

Re:Tartar Sauce (stricken_detective)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:55:49 GMT

EatingTheRoad

stricken_detective

I hate tartar sauce, which is shocking because I love mayonnaise.

If I were going to eat it, it would have dill relish.

Agreed...tartar sauce would be the very last of my seafood accouterments. There are so many better sauces to use...or just eat it sans condiment! Sashimi anyone?

Just a fresh lemon wedge is good enough for me!

Re:Tartar Sauce (DawnT)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:40:18 GMT

I couldn't remember last night which company started it, but my better half recalled Mrs. Paul's as the one that packed those sweetened relish packets with portions and fish sticks. Another memory of that time was many places still used the original Key West/Miami style for fried fish....pancake mix.

Re:Tartar Sauce (blue heaven)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:31:49 GMT

I am in total agreement with you DawnT! I grew up eating the one you did. I hate the sweet kind especially the ones that come in packets with frozen fish with sweetner...ugh..

Re:Tartar Sauce (boyardee65)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:31:32 GMT

I love Tartar Sauce!! I make mine thusly:

1 cup Hellmans Mayo
3 TBS. sweet relish or chopped bread and butter pickles
the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 TBS. fresh chopped dill
2 TBS. chopped onion
1 TBS granulated garlic
fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

Capers are optional.

David O.

Re:Tartar Sauce (WarToad)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:23:36 GMT

My homemade is

mayo
minced:
dill pickle
red onion
capers
cracked pepper, salt
thyme
lemon juice

Re:Tartar Sauce (EatingTheRoad)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:22:36 GMT

stricken_detective

I hate tartar sauce, which is shocking because I love mayonnaise.

If I were going to eat it, it would have dill relish.

Agreed...tartar sauce would be the very last of my seafood accouterments. There are so many better sauces to use...or just eat it sans condiment! Sashimi anyone?

Re:Tartar Sauce (stricken_detective)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:07:03 GMT

I hate tartar sauce, which is shocking because I love mayonnaise.

If I were going to eat it, it would have dill relish.

Re:Tartar Sauce (Michael Hoffman)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:21:42 GMT

Mayonnaise, pickle relish, fresh dill, lemon juice.