Remoulade Sauce Recipe for Crab Cakes

There appears to be some discrepancies when it comes to deciding what to call this sauce.

You can call it what you want, but I’ll just call it good.

A remoulade sauce is perfect for dressing up seafood dishes.

French fry dipping, good. Crab cake topping, good. Fish sandwich topping, good.

Grilled fish topping, good. And even steak tartare topping, good.

Plain old crab meat? You betcha! But really when is crab meat plain?

Squeeze some lemon wedges on for extra fresh flavor.

Love fried green tomatoes? Yep, this Southern classic is perfect with a Louisiana-style remoulade sauce!

This is the perfect condiment!

I’ve been making this for years without writing down the recipe and every time I make it there is only one word that pops into my head and that is – good.

Well, last night I wrote it down. Yes, it is one of those sauces that you can play with.

Adjust the seasoning, leave out what you don’t like and add what you do.

I used the REAL mayo but you could get away with the low cal stuff, if you must.

I say that because there is so much flavor in this that I think that comes through more than the mayo. Let me know.

While in Phoenix, I made something similar to this for my folks.

Seems my dad likes sauce to go on his fish. I never knew.

In my home we just grill the fish and eat it, thereby saving calories, but really never missing a sauce.

Well, my dad likes tartar sauce.

Never really having much fish growing up, I guess I just never noticed.

He also likes steak tartare. I can remember him coming home at lunch with freshly ground beef from my grandfather’s  grocery and butcher store and warning us kids to not use this beef for anything.

This beef was for HIS steak tartare. No problem there, Dad. I don’t think it appealed to any of us kids.

I can remember him mixing up his tartare on the butcher paper. A few raw eggs, some Worcestershire sauce, I think, a sprinkle of black pepper, I think, and who knows what else.

He then would sit down to eat HIS steak tartare probably with a cup of borscht.

And now I find out that this similar sauce used to be served and still may be, with his steak tartare.

What is a remoulade sauce?

The remoulade sauce originated in France. Typically it was a mayonnaise base sauce that contained fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon.

Probably a few chopped cornichons and some anchovy essence. Maybe a chopped hard boiled egg.

Louisiana remoulade sauce usually had some horseradish and some paprika or tomato paste to make it red.

What is tartar sauce?

Tartar sauce originated in Russia near the Eurasian Steppe. It contained capers, lemon juice, pickles and tarragon.

Maybe some green onions. Maybe some celery and even some hard boiled egg.

How do you make tartar sauce?

Nowadays a simple tartar sauce is usually made with sweet pickle relish, a touch of onion, lemon juice and mayonnaise, making this a flavorful aioli.

It appears that sauces go by many names!

I remember having a remoulade sauce in Denmark with french fries. This was way back in my high school days and I still remember those fries and sauce.

I remember the person behind the counter putting a potato into a machine, which extruded the potato straight into the hot oil.

They then served the frites with a soft, flaky salt and a yellow remoulade sauce.

Seems the Danes like curry or turmeric to flavor and color their remoulade. Whatever it was, I was in heaven.

They also drizzled this flavorful sauce on long hot dogs called polse, if I remember correctly. Those were really good, too!

My creamy sauce is a bit of a conglomeration of the two but I do add Old Bay seasoning. I love Old Bay.

I first tasted Old Bay when I was pregnant and visiting Baltimore many years ago.

I ate Maryland crab cakes which may explain my predilection to crab cakes every spring.

I don’t think I’d had crab cakes before visiting, but in Baltimore one eats crab cakes. I am certainly not one to buck the trend.

I brought crab home on the plane and made homemade crab cakes when I got home, too.

Crab cake recipes require mayonnaise to help bind them, but honestly mix in this remoulade sauce for extra flavor!

And I took the crab man’s recipe to heart. I bought some Old Bay.

I then added it to my dipping sauce and it has been with me ever since.

It isn’t necessary to use Old Bay, but then it would be just a tartar sauce or just a remoulade sauce.

See what you think. Stir it in last. I love the salty, celery, tangy-ness it gives.

It gives a little bite, a feeling of wanting more, in my humble opinion.

However there are so many ways to make this and if you don’t want Old Bay feel free to stir in Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning.

Cajun seasoning would make this more peppery given the use of cayenne pepper.

You could also throw in some diced celery. So many ways to go and so little time. You get the picture.

Have fun with your remoulade/tartar sauce.

This sauce is good and I just smeared some on a sandwich for lunch. It gives anything some extra punch.

Keep it in your back pocket, because this simple sauce is a keeper!

So how do you make this homemade remoulade sauce recipe?

It’s as simple as getting out a small mixing bowl or a large measuring cup and folding your favorite ingredients together.

Create your own house sauce.

To make a Creole style sauce use Creole mustard. To make a Cajun sauce stir in extra hot sauce.

To make a French sauce don’t forget the tarragon and the Dijon mustard.

And if you are out of prepared mustard, dry mustard works also!

If your sauce is thicker than you’d like stir in some pickle juice or juice from the capers jar.

This really is one of the best sauces I know, so make a bunch and store the extra in an airtight container.

I promise you will use it up fast.

Enjoy this great recipe and feel free to make it or call it whatever you want!

I just call it good!

Need Some More?

Old Bay Crab Cakes

Irish Fish Cakes and Tartar Sauce

Come Back Sauce