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Home » Sauces

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

Published: Nov 6, 2020 · Modified: May 25, 2023 by Yuto Omura

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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

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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

Watch our video for how to make homemade Japanese style tartar sauce

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


  • Author: Yuto Omura
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 portions
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Description

How to make tangy Japanese Style Tartar Sauce from scratch.


Ingredients

  • 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,

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