Why 30 Minutes Is Key For The Best-Tasting Tartar Sauce

Whether it's fish and chips or crab cakes, tartar sauce is the go-to condiment to complement an array of seafood-forward dishes. The cool, creamy, and tangy sauce has just a few ingredients like mayonnaise and dill, so it's not overly complicated to make from scratch. But one essential factor of making it at home is to chill it for at least 30 minutes.

Like our recipe developer mentions in our simple tartar sauce recipe, after you combine mayonnaise with diced dill pickles, dried dill, lemon juice, and salt, you can't just dig in. You should really allow it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes first. Why? This gives the flavors of those ingredients just enough time to meld and become one satisfying sauce.

It works in the same way that tonight's stew will taste even better tomorrow due to the Maillard reaction. For a sauce like tartar sauce, there's no cooking time, so it's even more important. The rich fats of the mayonnaise will mellow out the acidity of lemon juice or other potential ingredients like raw onion. The flavors will develop together in about 30 minutes, but as a research and development chef, I'd say allowing it to rest overnight is an even better bet.

There are a couple more reasons why it's best to let tartar sauce hang out in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Tartar sauce is often served cold, and will complement the piping-hot fish even more than it would at room temperature. Like other homemade condiments, tartar sauce will also thicken as it sits in the fridge, so it'll have the proper consistency to spread on a sandwich.

If you're racking your brain for ways to use the tartar sauce, the most common is to use it alongside a classic British fish and chips for a complete meal. Or use it as a spread on our Cajun-inspired fish sandwich in place of the remoulade. You can even serve tartar sauce with crab cakes or onion rings — just be sure to use the homemade sauce within seven days.