Culver’s tartar sauce is not your average tartar sauce. It is rich, balanced, and layered with briny flavor that cuts beautifully through fried seafood.
The heavy mayonnaise gives it that thick, ultra-smooth base. Sweet and dill relishes create contrast. Capers and green olives add little bursts of salt and brightness. Pimentos bring a pop of color and subtle sweetness. The result tastes as if it came straight from the restaurant.
Once you make it from scratch, you may never buy a jar again. This sauce is perfect on fish sandwiches, crab cakes, and more.
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What makes Culver’s Tartar Sauce so unique?
Rich and well-balanced, with just the right amount of acidity to cut through the fat, Culver’s Tartar Sauce is a must-have addition to your favorite seafood dishes. The heavy mayonnaise guarantees a decadent, ultra-smooth base, while the combination of sweet and dill pickle relishes, capers, and chopped green olives brings layers of briny tang and mild sweetness.
Onion powder provides a subtle, savory element that doesn’t overpower the sauce, and the pimentos add their own flavor and a pop of color. This is a classic tartar sauce with a touch of extra you won’t find in a bottle. Why not try this easy tartar sauce recipe?
Tartar Sauce ingredients and their roles in this recipe
This Culver’s Tartar Sauce recipe can be made with easy-to-find pantry staples.
- Sweet pickle relish – adds sweetness and a bit of acidity.
- Dill pickle relish – ramps up the tang and adds a distinctive dill flavor.
- Capers – bring briny pops of flavor and enhance the sauce’s overall complexity.
- Onion powder delivers a deep onion flavor without the sharpness of raw onion.
- Pimentoes – mainly here for color, although they have a little sweetness.
- Green olives – increase brininess and add a touch of bitterness, keeping the other flavors in check.
- Heavy mayonnaise – is the base of the sauce. Heavy mayo contains more eggs than regular mayonnaise, resulting in a much thicker, richer consistency and flavor.
How to make this tartar sauce
To prepare this copycat Culver’s Tartar Sauce recipe:
- Add the sweet pickle relish, dill pickle relish, caper, onion powder, and pimentos to the bowl of a food processor.
- Roughly chop the green olives and add them to the bowl.
- Pulse several times until all the ingredients are roughly the same size.
- Spoon the heavy mayo into the food processor bowl, along with the other ingredients. Pulse a few more times until everything is well mixed.
- Transfer the tartar sauce into an airtight container and chill for at least an hour, but ideally overnight, before serving. Waiting will allow the flavors to meld.
What to serve Culver’s Tartar Sauce with?
You can use this sauce as a mayo substitute, but dried seafood is perhaps the best food to enjoy with tartar sauce. Below are three seafood recipes that should suit almost everyone.
Classic Beer-battered Fish and Chips – Sure, Brits don’t usually dip fried fish in tartar sauce, but then they don’t have Culver’s Tartar Sauce, do they? This recipe is a classic pub-style Fish and Chips, with a light batter made with beer. The bitterness in the beer works especially well with tartar sauce, so give it a try.
Long John Silver’s Fish – For most people, this is what they think of when they imagine fish sticks. The batter is extra crunchy thanks to club soda, and the fish is mild and a little sweet. But it is the distinctive seasonings that really set this fried fish apart from its British cousin.
Beer-battered Fried Shrimp – Beer is the secret ingredient that keeps the batter light, while delivering a mighty crunch. The seasoning is mild to let the shrimp’s flavor come through. But if you prefer it spicy, go ahead and add some Old Bay Seasoning or cayenne pepper.
Make-ahead tips and how long it will last
Preparing the Culver’s Tartar Sauce recipe in advance is a good idea, as it will improve in flavor over the first three days. It is best to toss any unused sauce after a week just to be on the safe side. To ensure the tarter sauce lasts as long as possible, always use clean utensils to serve it and return it to the fridge immediately after use. This will last in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
We do not recommend freezing this.
More Culver’s copycat recipes
Favorite fast food sauces
Check out more of my easy recipes for sauces right here on CopyKat!
Culver’s Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 3 green olives chopped
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon pimentos
- 1 cup heavy mayonnaise
Instructions
- Place the sweet pickle relish, dill pickle relish, capers, green olives, onion powder, and pimentos into a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely chopped.
- Add mayonnaise, pulse a few more times to blend.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
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