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The basics of tartar sauce

by Kirk Ross

One of the keys to any decent civilization is a ready supply of fresh-baked bread, and to the delight of many, there finally seems to be enough of the stuff floating around the Triangle.

Much of this is due to the expansion of bakeries in the larger grocery store chains. While a lot of what’s offered in the pastry department leaves something to be desired, nearly all of us now have access to perfectly adequate French bread.

Given our abundant coast, this steady supply of fresh French bread means, of course, that there is no reason for the seafood po’ boy not to become a regular item on your household menu.
There’s one problem, though. Sadly, there’s almost no decent tartar sauce available anywhere. This may not seem like such a big deal, but bad tartar sauce can ruin a perfectly good sandwich.

There’s almost no decent tartar sauce available anywhere, so make your own for a seafood po’ boy like this one. Photo by Kirk Ross

The problem with commercial tartar sauce is the same as with most condiments these days – it’s full of sugar, especially high-fructose sugars that when mixed with ultra-sweet relish yield something with a sweetness that rivals pure Karo syrup.

Of several brands sampled, only Louisiana, Thomas’s and a couple of expensive specialty-store brands were even tolerable.

The only real alternative is to make your own damn tartar sauce.

Bill Smith of Crook’s Corner says there are a few basics to keep in mind.

“The traditional sauce is just mayonnaise and chopped pickles or capers or something sour, and maybe a little lemon juice.” After that, he said, there are a lot of variations on what you can add, such as chopped eggs and herbs like parsley and chives for additional flavor and flecks of green.

“My favorite is the remoulade style you find in Louisiana, which in France means adding mustard, but there usually means adding chopped peppers, a blend of hot, Creole seasonings or Tabasco,” he said.

Remember, whatever you do, that the idea of the sauce is to complement the fish – not disguise it – and a good version is more about creating a blend of tang and spice than smothering the fishy taste.

Oh, snap!
A stop at Tom Robinson’s the other day confirmed that this is shaping up to be a good year for snapper. Lower fuel prices and favorable weather have helped the catch, which were in good supply in a variety of sizes.

As the late Mr. Robinson would tell you, snapper is one of the best fish to grill. The meat holds up, the skin holds together and crisps up nicely and the fish is thick enough to stuff with herbs and scallions.

Red snapper is the most well known of the family, but our waters also have vermillion, pink (The Eater’s house favorite) and even grey snapper, which until recently were known as grunts.

The amazing fish spatula
File this under “why haven’t I had one of these all my life?” because that’s what you’ll say to yourself every time you pick up your fish spatula.

The fish spatula’s twist is an additional angle at the business end that makes it easier to lift a fish or anything else off the grilling surface. It’s slotted, which helps keep juices where you want them if you’re working with a pan, but the design still has enough surface area to easily turn an egg. It’s elongated too, which makes it easier to finesse the flip and the right tool for turning larger items like, say, a fish, with a lot more control.