I love tartar sauce. Don’t get me wrong, this mahi mahi had plenty going on of its own. It was liberally coated with spices (Cajun, Mexican, Indian, darned if I can remember!) and benefited from a squeeze of lemon, too. I even tore up the leftovers and used them in a Thai soup, shown in a previous post.
But at the last minute, I grabbed the bottle of Kelchner’s tartar sauce from the fridge and plopped a dollop of that on the side.
Kelchner’s is definitely the best of the ready-made brands in my opinion, and their cocktail sauce is good, too, with just the right amount of horseradish.
But back to that tartar sauce. To me, a proper tartar sauce must contain capers. And not be too sweet, which, along with a lack of capers, is the problem with most cheap store brands.
If you have a moment, make your own, it’s even better, as long as you have those capers in the pantry.
NJ SPICE 
Hey Faith:
I had to weigh in on the tartar sauce. I’ve got a different take on it than yours in that I like it a little sweet. My recipe: Hellmans mayo, drained India Relish, finely diced shallots, finely diced cornichons, salt and black pepper and capers optional. I’m betting that there are a million recipes for this and that, except for the one using Miracle Whip, none of them are wrong.
Dave
I always make mine with capers too Faith. By the way, loved the recipes in today’s Packet for those delicious stewed fruit desserts.
Dave, it should indeed have a little sweetness, but just not too much. Isn’t that provided by the relish? Do you add additonal sugar? Miracle Whip…I have a jar in my cupboard, thinking I’ll try it again someday, as my Grandpa loved it. But so far it is just gathering dust!
I agree with you; not too sweet. I drain the India Relish because I don’t want the sauce to be too liquid. The relish is the only sweetening. I think that the cornichons and shallots counter it nicely. I try to let it sit for a least a few hours. Corn fritters for dinner tonmorrow. I’m not sure about the rest of dinner, but I’ve got a hankering for the fritters.
Enjoying your blog,
Dave