Modern Creole Tartar Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes over Grilled Salmon
Sep 10, 2015, Updated May 15, 2025
A delicious Modern Creole Tartar Sauce loaded with veggies and flavor! Endless serving options… I love it over grilled salmon, crab cakes and shrimp

A tasty, tangy and spicy tartar sauce with personality. Loaded with colorful textures and flavors – yum!
- This creole tartar sauce is simple to make, use the best quality mayonnaise or make your own.
- Did you know that most commercial tartar sauces include high fructose corn syrup (ugh) and many preservatives?
- To create this sauce blend in your favorite hot sauce, creole grainy mustard, creole seasoning, garlic, scallions (search out red scallions at farmers’ markets), peppers, chopped cherry tomatoes , parsley, and my favorite touch – slow-roasted cherry tomatoes.
- Slow roasting tomatoes condenses their flavor and brings forward their natural sweetness. Roast a batch, and create your next recipes with them!
Serve:
Serve this sauce over spiced and blackened salmon steaks (see recipe), with crab cakes or poached or grilled shrimp.
Delicious too with crisp calamari rounds or crunchy fried clams.
I dolloped the sauce over the warm salmon, and melted a bit… simply divine!
Some Tartar facts:
- The name derives from the French sauce tartare, named after the Tartars (Ancient spelling in French of the ethnic group: Tartare). In England it’s “tartare’… US it’s spelled “tartar. “
- The base of Remoulade sauce is similar to Tartar sauce – it usually includes anchovies, capers and herbs.
- In the UK tartar sauce also is found to contain gherkins, tarragon and lemon juice. The US version is a simpler version with pickles or prepared green relish mixed in to the mayonnaise.
Enjoy!
Karen
Modern Creole Tartar Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes over Grilled Salmon
A delicious Modern Creole Tartar Sauce loaded with veggies and flavor! Endless serving options… I love it over grilled salmon
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise, good quality or homemade (without natural flavorings)
- 3/4 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon cornichons, chopped (small pickled gerkins)
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, peeled and finely grated
- 1 tablespoon scallions, chopped – use purple scallions, or red onion too
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning , preferably salt free
- 2 tablespoon oven dried cherry tomatoes, chopped (see recipe)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley leaves, cleaned, chopped
Instructions
Method:
- Combine all ingredients well to blend the flavors. Taste for heat, add more hot sauce if you like spicy. Add minced fresh hot peppers if you want a powerful kick. Store in an airtight glass container. Serve when cold, refrigerated at least 1 hour. Keeps up to a week. Great over Salmon Steaks** (recipe below) and crab cakes too!
To Oven Dry Cherry Tomatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a small rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Brush parchment with 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil. Cut ONE cup cherry tomatoes in half and place them cut side up on the pan. Sprinkle with a few pinches of sea salt.
- Slow-roast in the oven for about 1 hour until shriveled – this will sweeten and condense their flavors. Store in an airtight container, will keep one week. Use 2 tablespoon for this recipe, enjoy using the rest – toss with pasta, salad, top pizza or grilled cheese.
Grilled Salmon Steaks:
- Wash and dry 8 ounce, 1" slices of salmon steaks. Heat a cast iron skillet until very hot over high heat. Coat both side of the salmon in you favorite salt-free cajun spice. Add the salmon to the skillet and leave to blacken. When darkened, turn over and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook on the second side until the fish has just flaked, and is cooked through. Do not overcook. Sprinkle with sea salt. Great on the grill too!
To Serve:
- Serve the salmon with a generous dollop of Modern Cajun Tartar Sauce with lemon and lime wedges on the side.
Notes
Prep time does not include slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, which I recommend!
Analysis is for the Creole Sauce. This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Analysis is for the Creole Sauce. This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Nutrition
Calories: 69kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 82mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 68IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.05mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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