tartar sauce
Noun: A cold, creamy sauce made from mayonnaise and finely chopped ingredients, typically including pickles, and often containing additions like capers, shallots, parsley, and hard-boiled egg. It is traditionally served as an accompaniment to seafood, especially fried fish.
Tartar sauce is used exclusively as a condiment. It is served cold, often in a small bowl or ramekin on the side of a plate. - It is a classic pairing for fried seafood dishes. - It can also be used as a spread for sandwiches containing fish or seafood.
- Homemade vs. Commercial: Discussions about cooking often contrast homemade tartar sauce, which allows for customization of ingredients, with pre-made commercial versions.
- His secret for perfect tartar sauce is using homemade mayonnaise.
- Tartare Sauce: An alternative spelling, more common in British English.
- Rémoulade: A similar cold sauce, often spicier and more complex, originating from French cuisine. It can be considered a close relative or variant.
- Seafood sauce: A generic descriptive term.
- Fish sauce (Note: This can be ambiguous, as "fish sauce" also refers to the Asian liquid condiment made from fermented fish.)
This word refers specifically to the mayonnaise-based condiment. It is not related to: - Dental tartar: The hard deposit on teeth. - Tartar (historical): A member of the Mongol tribes or a native of Tartary. - Steak tartare: A dish of raw minced beef, which is etymologically related but a completely different food item.
- mayonnaise with chopped pickles and sometimes capers and shallots and parsley and hard-cooked egg; sauce for seafood especially fried fish