Tartare Sauce

04/08/2012 21:50

Tartare sauce ~  A creamy-white tangy mayonnaise-based sauce flavoured with chopped capers, gherkins and herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chives. Tartare sauce is traditionally served with fried white fish such as cod, plaice or haddock. It is also a very popular accompaniment to deep fried scampi in breadcrumbs or fishcakes.

Tartare sauce can be bought in jars ready to use, but making your own sauce from scratch
is far nicer, and no bother at all really. Give it a go!


 

MAYONNAISE
Serves 6

2 medium egg yolks
1 tsp English mustard powder
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
300ml sunflower oil or light olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice


In a medium-sized glass bowl, add the egg yolks, pinch of salt, mustard and the vinegar. Sit the bowl on a damp cloth to secure it. Whisk the mixture with a balloon whisk to blend. Gradually add the oil drop by drop, whisking continuously until the mixture begins to blend together and thicken. (If the oil is added too quickly, the two liquids will just separate.) After a quarter of the oil has been blended, add the lemon juice and beat into the mixture. Continue to whisk in the remaining oil, which you should be able to add alot quicker now. Once all the oil has been beaten in, season to taste.

* If the mayonnaise is too thick, whisk in a few teaspoons of boiling water.

* The mayonnaise will keep in the fridge for upto 3-4 days, covered.
* Use any light-flavoured oil – sunflower, olive, vegetable, rapeseed or groundnut oil.

TARTARE SAUCE

Mix half quantity of the mayonnaise with - 3 finely chopped gherkins, 1 tbsp chopped capers, 1 tbsp chopped parsley and some snipped chives..
 

Or you can just make a simple tartar sauce, by adding these ingredients to your favourite brand of mayonnaise.
 

HORSERADISH TARTARE SAUCE
A lighter sauce that's great with salmon
serves 4

200g
crème fraîche

6 gherkins, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers, drained & chopped
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped dill

Mix all the ingredients together. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.