My Favourite Tartar Sauce

Tartar sauce is one of the things I love most about fish & chips. Nothing is worse than ordering fish & chips at a restaurant and finding out it comes with the little pre-packaged tartar sauce containers or even worse, none at all! I found this recipe in a book called "The Simply Great 2 Cookbook: Recipes and the Experience of Fine Dining From the Kitchens of Chuck Muer". I have thought about getting the first cookbook they put out so I know that it is available online. It is a gem of a book and contains many recipes that I go back to time after time. The Muer restaurants are very popular in Michigan and I always have it in the back of my mind to go to Kruse & Muir when we are in Detroit.

This tartar sauce is so good you will want to make french-fries just to have something to dip into it. One night before dinner, I pulled a pan of roasted baby Yukon Gold potatoes out of the oven. They were roasted with olive oil and sea salt and pepper and the skin was brown and crispy. I had some of My Favourite Tartar Sauce leftover from another meal and I pulled it out of the fridge. I dipped a hot potato into the cold sauce and it was scrumptious!!! I immediately called my sister and explained to her in detail how amazing the potatoes and the sauce were together. She understood completely and that is why we are more than just sisters!

My Favourite Tartar Sauce (aka: Chef Larry's Tartar Sauce)

1 1/2 c. mayo
1 T. onion, very finely diced
3 T. dill pickle, very finely diced
1 stalk celery, very finely diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 T. capers, finely chopped
2 t. fresh chives, finely chopped
1 anchovy, minced
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
1 t. lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in the order given. Blend well.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Sauce will last for up to 2 weeks.

*Sometimes I make the recipe in smaller quantities (use 1 c. mayo and then reduce the rest of ingredients accordingly). Even if you aren't an anchovy fan, you won't even know it's in there but it definitely adds something pretty special to the sauce. I use anchovy paste that comes in a tube.
*I am still searching for the perfect fish batter recipe. I want something very close to tempura but a little thicker. Come to think of it, the temperature of the oil is probably more important than the actual batter when it comes to getting the perfect crispy piece of fish.
*Thank you Kristin for giving me this cookbook for my 24th birthday in '96!