Make Store-Bought Tartar Sauce Worthy Of Your Seafood With 2 Additions

Tartar sauce was first mentioned in French cookbooks in the 1800s after the popularization of mayonnaise and used as an accompanying sauce to beef tartare (a classic French dish made of raw, minced beef). There are more facts you need to know about tartar sauce, but modern-day applications have moved away from raw meat. While there are plenty of great ways to use tartar sauce beyond fish, our favorite has to be with a classic fried fish filet, as the creamy and tangy sauce pairs perfectly with the mild, flaky fish and hot, crispy fries. The mayonnaise and pickle-based sauce is an ideal pairing for fried seafood given its punchy flavor and cooling qualities, and typically has a thick and chunky texture from its chopped ingredients.

Tartar sauce is fairly easy to make at home, but sometimes you need to opt for the store-bought option. There's absolutely no shame in that, and we have some suggestions on how to spruce up store-bought tartar sauce with just two simple ingredients: lemon juice and fresh herbs. With these additions, you can transform store-bought tartar sauce into something more complex and unique to your taste preferences. 

A generous squeeze of lemon juice will really brighten up the creamy sauce. You could even zest the lemon before juicing it and include the zest in the sauce for brighter, citrusy notes. Meanwhile, fresh herbs will add delicate but savory notes to the sauce.

A generous squeeze of lemon juice will really brighten up the creamy tartar sauce. You could even zest the lemon before juicing it and include the zest in the sauce for brighter, citrusy notes. Parsley and dill are two stellar herbs to add, but you could experiment with other herbs like chives or tarragon. No matter which combination of herbs you choose, be sure to rinse, dry well, and finely chop them before adding them so that they blend well into the store-bought sauce.

Although store-bought tartar sauce usually contains plenty of sodium already, be sure to taste for seasoning after you've doctored it up and add more salt if needed. If you like things hot, hot sauce is the spicy upgrade your tartar sauce needs and blends well with the lemon and fresh herbs. When you're feeling extra, Gordon Ramsay amps up his tartar sauce with crème fraîche, and Ina Garten adds a touch of luxury to tartar sauce with champagne vinegar. 

Any jazzed-up version of store-bought tartar sauce can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for about a week. Before you head to the grocery store to pick some up, read up on our 10 store-bought tartar sauces, ranked worst to best so you can choose the best one to bring home.