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Tartare Sauce
Serves 6 Prep 10 min Cook 0 min Total 10 min

Tartare Sauce

Tartare sauce is a classic accompaniment to fried and grilled fish; it is also served with cold fish and shellfish.

Serves 6 Prep 10 minutes Cook 0 minutes Units Rate

Overview

A vibrant, sophisticated cold sauce combining hard-boiled egg yolks with fragrant oil, tangy vinegar, and a combination of capers, onion, and fresh chives. This classic French accompaniment to fried fish showcases elegant simplicity with layered, briny flavors.

Ingredients

Base

  • 3 egg yolks (hard boiled)
  • 200 ml groundnut oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Flavorings

  • salt
  • pepper
  • 20 grams onion (finely chopped, blanched, refreshed and drained)
  • 3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon chives (snipped)

Method

Stage 1 - Create egg base

  1. Put the hard-boiled egg yolks into a mortar and pound with the pestle to make a smooth paste.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.

Stage 2 - Incorporate oil

  1. Incorporate the groundnut oil in a thin stream, stirring continuously with the pestle.

Stage 3 - Add finishing ingredients

  1. When the oil is all incorporated, add the lemon juice.
  2. Fold in the onion and mayonnaise.

Stage 4 - Season & serve

  1. Stir to combine, then add the chives.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

  • Egg yolk paste: Pound thoroughly for smooth base; incomplete pounding results in gritty sauce.
  • Oil incorporation: Slow, steady addition creates proper emulsion; rushing breaks sauce.
  • Blanched onion: Softens harsh raw allium flavour; essential for refined taste.

Serving

Serve chilled with fried fish (sole, plaice, cod), grilled fish, or cold fish and shellfish preparations. Classic with fish and chips.

Storage

  • Keeps refrigerated for 2 days in an airtight container.
  • Does not freeze well; emulsion breaks upon thawing.
  • Best eaten fresh for maximum flavour and emulsion stability.

Recipes mentioned here

1 / 1
Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips

The British takeaway classic, the meal eaten wrapped in paper on a seafront bench while the gulls work out their angle of attack. The chips are the longer half of the job: floury Maris Piper potatoes blanched first at low oil temperature to cook through, drained, then crisped at a hotter temperature for the second fry that gives them their proper craggy crunch. The fish (cod or haddock for the classic, pollock or hake for the equally-good alternatives) dunks in a cold beer batter and goes straight into the same hot oil, where the batter sets instantly into a shattering golden shell that keeps the fish steaming and white inside. Mushy peas on the side, a wedge of lemon if you're being fancy. Salt and malt vinegar at the table, newspaper underneath if you're going traditional.

British 45 minutes Serves4

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