Forget Tartar Sauce: A Better Way To Add Creamy Flavor To Fish Sandwiches

When making fish sandwiches, tartar sauce is a traditional go-to condiment, but it is far from the only creamy choice. For a cooling richness with a fresh, light taste that can complement fish instead of overwhelming it, try dill yogurt sauce. The tangy, zesty spread is easy to whip up by mixing dill, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and olive oil, and can be seasoned simply with cracked black pepper, salt, and minced garlic. The smooth sauce keeps the fish filet in its rightful place as the center of the sandwich. 

While a simple tartar sauce leads with flavors of mayonnaise and pickles, dill yogurt sauce offers a cleaner, more refreshing spread that can be a welcome addition when served at cookouts and summer picnics. The thick, creamy recipe clings to every nook and cranny of fish sandwiches, and the inclusion of dill offers a bright, herby touch that can complement a range of fried seafood choices. Whether you've selected a white fish or have put together crab cakes, the lemon juice can balance the richness of the fried protein. Recipes can be modified to suit preferences and palates, with more or less dill added to the mix or an extra pinch of salt sprinkled in to taste. Add ingredients slowly and taste as you go.

For those wanting even more flavor in the creamy spread, dill doesn't need to serve as a solo operator. Stirring chives or parsley into the mix can turn the recipe into a fresh, herby sauce also fit for bagels and dinner rolls made with few ingredients. Lovers of the punchier side of tartar sauce can fold finely chopped pickles or splash pickle juice directly into the dish, while heat seekers can whisk a dash of hot sauce or a touch of cayenne or smoked paprika powder into the recipe. However you customize it, this spread is meant to be yours, so you can adjust as you build. Vegans can modify recipes by using different types of yogurt, like almond milk or coconut, to build the sauce so that no sandwich lover is left behind.

When a flavorful sauce is this easy to make, you may want to double your recipe to have extra on hand for other dishes. Dill yogurt sauce works equally well with grilled proteins and roasted vegetables and can even make an appearance at tomorrow's breakfast table alongside scrambled eggs and buttered croissants. The sauce can serve as a veggie dip or spoonable topping for wings hot off the grill and even work overtime as a salad dressing. Set out a few sauce variations for guests to pick and choose and dress their meals accordingly.