For people who love fish dishes, there is always that perfect that the tartar sauce literally brings to the table.
Regardless of the fish recipe, you will never go wrong with this sauce.
After all, it complements everything, including crab cakes, hush puppies, catfish, burgers, and tacos among other fish dishes.
Besides fish, tartar sauce also does well with the chips.
However, one shouldn’t focus so much on the tangy and creamy sauce to the extent of overlooking other essential things.
For instance, it is good to know whether it has gluten, especially if you have celiac or your body reacts to the allergen.
Tartar sauce may or may not be gluten-free, depending on its ingredients.
If it contains gluten, such as wheat, which is common, the tartar sauce won’t be gluten-free.
How this sauce will be prepared can also make a huge difference.
After all, cross-contamination will leave traces of gluten despite using non-gluten ingredients to make your tartar sauce.
You should always study the list of ingredients when looking for a non-gluten tartar sauce.
The gluten-free labels that most manufacturers add to their packages can also help you distinguish the sauce.
Alternatively, make your tartar sauce from the comfort of your home using gluten-free ingredients while avoiding any cross-contamination from items containing gluten.
Let’s learn about tartar sauce and how to make it gluten-free if your diet demands that.
What Are the Common Ingredients of Tartar Sauce?
There isn’t an exact list of ingredients of tartar sauce since it differs from one manufacturer to another.
However, there is a list of the ingredients most tartar sauce makers use, and they include the following;
Mayonnaise
It is one of the main ingredients of tartar sauce.
You can use the typical one if you want your sauce to be relatively creamy and thick.
Otherwise, you may want to consider lite mayonnaise to avoid the extra cream and thickness.
Equally important, use the vegan mayo if you want your tartar sauce vegan-friendly.
Onion
Its role is to ensure the tartar sauce is crisp and crunchy.
It is advisable to use white onions thanks to their papery and tender properties that make a huge difference.
Lemon Juice
When adding lemon juice, avoid the bottled one and instead settle for its fresh counterpart.
The fresh lemon juice will thin your tartar sauce and give it a tangy flavor.
Sugar
This ingredient is optional and ideal when looking for a sweet and sour tartar sauce.
Consider it given the balance it strikes to the various sauce flavors.
Dijon Mustard
It is ideal for a terrific strong flavor, but if that’s not the taste you are looking for and you instead want it less spicy, yellow mustard is a great substitute.
Fresh Dill
From the warm flavor to the bright color, fresh green dill is a great addition to your tartar sauce.
If unavailable, replace it will the dried dill or parsley since they will also do the trick.
Black Pepper
Besides a tangy flavor, you may also be looking for a hot and spicy one.
If so, add this ingredient or the red pepper flakes for the spiciness.
Capers
The ingredient makes your tartar and sauce have a terrific aroma.
It also adds boldness and the savory and tangy flavors become evident.
Alternatively, you can use olives instead of capers for the same effect.
Dill Pickle
It adds taste to your tartar sauce, and you can replace it with pickled cucumber or onion.
Other variations can change the tartar sauce you make.
For instance, dairy-free tartar sauce demands substituting mayonnaise with vegan yoghurt or vegan mayo.
Its keto counterpart requires you to use low-carb yoghurt or mayo for your diet.
Lastly, you can add sour cream to make your tartar sauce even more tangy.
This information can undoubtedly be helpful when making a homemade tartar sauce.
Which Other Sauces Can You Use for Fish Dishes?
Whereas the tartar sauce is suitable for fish dishes, it would be unfair to say that it is your only option.
On the contrary, you can try other sauces that go well with fish dishes, including the following:
- Sweat and sour sauce: It is ideal when looking for a spicy and light sauce for your fish dish.
- Tomato ginger sauce: This sauce needs much effort and attention since it is complex, but it will be worth it in the end. Besides, it doesn’t take much time to prepare despite the complexity.
- Red wine sauce: It fits the bill if you are looking for a richly flavorful and colored sauce for the fish. However, the quality of your wine will make a huge difference, and it is understandable to use a full-bodied red one.
- Salmoriglio sauce: It is a Sicilian classic sauce that’s tangy and buttery.
- Lemon cream sauce: You will love its simplicity, and it only requires parsley, lemon juice, salt, cream and lemon zest.
- Mint sauce: The sauce is usually a good choice when eating fish, such as tuna. This sauce makes the fish full-flavored, and it is sweat and sour thanks to its ingredients, including sugar, vinegar, garlic and fresh mint.
- Rich Ketchup sauce: Its complex flavour is indisputable, and it emanates from its ingredients, which are Tabasco, vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce.
- Pasley sauce: Do you like your snapper or sea bass crisp and butter-fried? If so, this sauce is perfect with its lemon flavor, not forgetting that it is easy to make.
- Fresh herb sauce: It is also a simple yet tasty sauce containing garlic, vinegar, oregano, marjoram, arugula and parsley.
- Smoked-Almond Romesco Sauce: Its smokiness is hard to miss but incredible, too, since one of its ingredients is smoked almonds. There is also the pimentón de la Vera that also makes a huge difference.
- Tomato-based cocktail sauce: That’s yet another sauce that won’t disappoint when enjoying your fish.
What Are Alternatives to Tartar Sauce and Other Sauces for Your Fish Dishes?
Interestingly, you don’t need tartar sauce or any other sauce to enjoy your fish dish.
After all, there are other remedies that substitute the sauces excellently.
The hummus dish is an excellent example of yet another delicious dip for your seafood.
Expect it to be acidic because of the lemon juice.
Alternatively, you can go for the garlicky aioli.
You may add chopped pickle or a little dill depending on how you like yours.