• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sudachi Recipes
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    Homemade Japanese Tartar Sauce (タルタルソース)

    Published: Nov 6, 2020 · Modified: Sep 28, 2021 by Yuto Omura

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Share this recipe!
    Share on Facebook
    Facebook
    Pin on Pinterest
    Pinterest
    Share on Reddit
    Reddit
    Tweet about this on Twitter
    Twitter
    Share on Yummly
    Yummly

    Tartar sauce is thick and creamy with the perfect amount of zing. Whether it's served with English fish and chips or Japanese Ebi Fry, I'd say that tartar sauce is a sauce well-loved all over the world!

    Japanese style tartar sauce in a glass jar

    Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Sudachi Recipes earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See disclaimer for more info.

    Tartar Sauce

    What is Tartar sauce?

    Tartar sauce is a thick, creamy and tangy sauce that pairs very well with seafood, especially of the deep fried variety. Tartar sauce originated from France and has made its way all over the world. (for good reason!)

    Japanese style tartar sauce in a glass jar with an onion

    What are the main ingredients in Tartar sauce?

    There are many variations of tartar sauce, but the main ingredients used in the UK and European countries are:

    • Mayonnaise (or aioli)
    • Capers
    • Gherkins
    • Lemon Juice
    • Dill or Parsley
    • Mustard
    Japanese style tartar sauce in a glass jar with spoon

    How is Japanese Tartar Sauce Different?

    Of course the base of the sauce is very similar, but Japanese Tartar sauce omits some surprising ingredients! Maybe because it's hard to get capers in Japan, but there's also some additional ingredients that you might not expect.

    • Mayonnaise (Japanese mayo made with rice vinegar like Kewpie)
    • Onions
    • Boiled Egg

    So, although some recipes do contain pickles, the main crunch in Japanese Tartar sauce is onion!

    Extra Eggs

    In addition to mayonnaise, Japanese tartar sauce contains boiled eggs. The egg yolk is mashed and mixed in with the mayonnaise. That's what gives it more of a yellow colour.

    Then the egg whites are finely chopped and add an extra texture to the sauce.

    Japanese style tartar sauce on a silver spoon

    Which one is better?

    Well of course I couldn't possibly decide... English tartar sauce is a bit more sour and runny while Japanese tartar sauce is a bit thicker and slightly milder in taste.

    They're both delicious! But for Japanese dishes you should definitely try the Japanese version!

    Japanese tartar sauce in a white dipping bowl next to ebi fry

    Check out this short instructional video

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    Japanese tartar sauce in a white dipping bowl next to ebi fry

    Homemade Japanese Tartar Sauce (タルタルソース)


    • Author: Yuto Omura
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 4 portions 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    How to make tangy Japanese Style Tartar Sauce from scratch.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ⅛ White onion (25g)
    • 2 Large Eggs
    • 4 tbsp Mayonnaise (Preferably Japanese Mayonnaise)
    • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
    • 2 tsp Sugar
    • 1 pinch Salt
    • 1 pinch Black pepper
    • 1 pinch Dried Parsley

    Instructions

    Tartar Sauce

    1. First, bring a small pot of water to the boil and add your eggs. Cook for 10 minutes to make them hard boiled.
    2. While the eggs are boiling, take your ⅛ onion and very finely dice it. Feel free to use a food processor to get it extra fine.
    3. Once they're ready, put your boiled eggs in a bowl of cold water and peel the shells. You can wait for them to cool down properly if you prefer (I'm impatient!).
    4. Take the 2 boiled eggs at cut them into halves.cut boiled eggs in half
    5. Scoop the yolks out into a medium sized bowl.
      scoop out the yolks
    6. Add 4 tbsp of mayonnaise, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt, pepper and dried parsley to the egg yolks.
      Add the mayonnaise and the seasonings
    7. Mix everything together, mashing up the egg yolks as you mix and incorporating it into the rest of the sauce.
      mix up the egg yolk, mayonnaise and seasonings
    8. With a sharp knife, finely dice the egg whites. Cut it as small as possible, don't use a food processor for this part as the egg white will lose its texture.
      dice the egg whites
    9. Add the diced onion and egg whites to the sauce and mix well.
      add the diced egg whites to the mixture
    10. Preferably let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
      Final mix of tartar sauce
    11. Serve with ebi fry or some crispy fish dish and enjoy!
      Ebi Fry and Tartar Sauce

    Notes

    If you want to soften the onion taste you can soak the onion after its been finely diced. (make sure to dry it well before adding it to your sauce) or reduce the amount to 18 of an onion.

    Homemade tartar sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks depending on the freshness of your ingredients!

    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 15
    • Category: Sauces
    • Method: Boil
    • Cuisine: Japanese

    Keywords: Japanese style tartar sauce recipe, Japanese tartar sauce, Japanese ebi fry sauce, how to make tartar sauce, homemade tartar sauce, Japanese sauce recipe, easy tartar sauce, tartar sauce with eggs,

    Did you try this recipe?

    Comment below or show us on Instagram!

    @sudachi.recipes     #sudachirecipes

    Share this recipe!
    Share on Facebook
    Facebook
    Pin on Pinterest
    Pinterest
    Share on Reddit
    Reddit
    Tweet about this on Twitter
    Twitter
    Share on Yummly
    Yummly
    « Classic Tempura Soba Noodles (天ぷらそば)
    Chewy Matcha and White Chocolate Cookies (抹茶ホワイトチョコレートクッキー) »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    Konnichiwa!

    Thanks for visiting Sudachi Recipes. My name is Yuto and I'm a Japanese guy with a passion for food. Here I share tasty and accessible recipes so that you can bring a taste of Japan to your own kitchen.

    More about me →

    Follow Us


    Search by Category

    • Noodles
    • Rice
    • Meat
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Vegetable
    • Sweets
    see all categories

    New Recipes

    • Tamago kake gohan 101: everything you need to know about TKG
    • Duck Soba Noodle Soup (Kamo Nanban Soba)
    • Harusame salad (Chuka style glass noodle salad)
    • Black Sesame Ice Cream (黒ゴマのアイスクリーム)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Sudachi Recipes

    • About Us
    • Recipes
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Coming soon

    Social Media

    • Contact Us
    • Youtube Channel
    • Instagram
    • Tiktok
    • Facebook

    Copyright © 2021 Sudachi Recipes