Sauce Tartare

Mayonnaise, capers, cornichons, herbs. The friend that lifts every fried thing on earth.

Named after the Tatars of central Asia — French chefs assumed anything vaguely piquant and pale came from the steppe. Whatever its provenance, it's now the sauce that lives in a small ramekin next to fish and chips.

Method

01
Start with 250g proper mayonnaise (see the mayo recipe) — cheap jarred stuff won't cut it.
02
Finely chop 3 tbsp cornichons, 2 tbsp capers, 1 small shallot, 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, 1 tbsp tarragon.
03
Fold into the mayo with 1 tsp Dijon mustard and a squeeze of lemon.
04
Rest 30 minutes for the flavours to marry. Taste — you want piquant, salty, herbal, but the mayo still in charge.

Chef's notebook

“Chop everything by hand, not blitz. Texture is the whole point.”
“Squeeze the cornichon liquid out first — otherwise the sauce goes runny in an hour.”