Tartar sauce with a Keto Mediterranean twist

Tartar sauce is usually served with seafood but it combines beautifully with meat or anything else from the Keto world. But hey, tartar sauce is Keto on its own, isn’t it? Wait, is it? In the modern world, when industrial mayonaisse with added sugar, harmful additives and seed oils is usually the main ingredient? No, of course! Such Tartar sauce is not something you want on your Keto Mediterranean menu. As with everything, we will show you an easy and quick way to enjoy one of the most refreshing sauces at home with clean ingredients.

Allow us to geek out with the history of Tartar sauce

All the best sauces of western cuisine come from France. Well, if not all, then the most popular ones. As we know, this sauce is one of the most popular sauces when it comes to seafood. Cold or hot fish, crab, lobster or calamari… You name it, Tartar sauce loves it. But how did it all start?

In the French dictionary, the word “Tartar” means roughness, so it is very likely that the name was given by the Tatar tribe, known for their conquests of medieval Europe. The recipe for this sauce is first mentioned in a cookbook from 1889, although the sauce itself was prepared almost a hundred years earlier. What’s especially interesting is that the composition is almost unchanged from 1600.

A traditional recipe and old-fashioned way of fixing beautiful emulsions

Depending on the taste, but also on the tradition of preparation, Tartar sauce, in addition to mayonnaise, has many other ingredients. Capers, lemon juice, pickles, garlic, parsley leaves, mustard, white wine, salt and pepper are the bases. With perhaps a few more undiscovered ingredients, the little secret of the great masters of the kitchen says that it is best to stir it just before serving. In some countries, hard-boiled eggs, mustard seeds and chopped olives are added. How is tartar sauce made? Why buy ready-made tartar, when you can make it, quickly and easily inside the walls of your kitchen? You can make it in just five minutes. The recipe is simple, when you prepare all the ingredients, you just need to combine them.

Keto Mediterranean version, a Tartar sauce with chopped olives

You can be creative and use some other ingredients, but we wanted to offer you our Keto Mediterranean version that will make a wonderful twist in your KMD kitchen. If you don’t have fresh herbs, worry not, dried ones will give equally tasty and colourful tartar. Also, don’t worry about chopping olives too much. Remember, the name says it needs to be rough! And please, leave that ready Mayonaise in the supermarket. You literally can make this sauce at home in 5 to 10 minutes. This depends if you want to use your muscles and whisk, or you’ll cheat and use the food processor. 😉

Tartar sauce with Keto Mediterranean twist

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Recipe by Roberta Kapsalis Course: Sauce, DipCuisine: Keto MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

0

minutes

Calories

274

kcal

Ingredients

• 3 yolks (or 6 whole quail eggs)

• 50 ml (1,6 fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice (use the zest of half a lemon too)

• 100 ml (3,5 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp capers

• 1/2 tsp flower of sea salt

• 1 tsp dijon mustard (or 1 tsp crushed mustard seeds)

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper (you can use black too)

• 2 tbsp freshly chopped herbs (peppermint, parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, dill…)

• 12 pitted green olives, finely chopped (alternatively use pickles)

• 100 g (3,5 oz) sour cream (or strained goat or sheep yoghurt)

Directions

• Place the yolks, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest in a deep mixing bowl. Now, with the power of your muscles, whisk it as energetic as you can using a metallic wish. Start adding olive oil little by little. You will notice the emulsion is thickening if you speed up the whisking. However, If you don’t have the power or will to whisk it manually, you can just transfer it all into a food processor or a blender.
• Now add sour cream or Greek yoghurt (goat or sheep) and keep whisking. Add chopped olives (or pickles) fresh herbs and capers. Wish well again.
• Before serving, sprinkle some more fresh herbs on your sauce. Et Voila!

Notes

• Quail eggs or fresh yolks of hen eggs are perfectly safe for raw consumption. Lemon juice will additionally help digestion.
• You can use any mix of fresh herbs you like or alternatively use the dried herbs to your liking.
• You can add some garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic, but we wanted this version to be light and kissing-friendly!

Did you make this recipe?

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