Remoulade Sauce in 30 seconds!

Remoulade is part of my “important sauces” collection: the quick little recipes that make everything else on the plate better. This one starts with mayo and builds fast with mustard, lemon, pickles, capers, horseradish, Tabasco, herbs, and Cajun seasoning. Nothing complicated, just the right balance of creamy, tangy, briny, and spicy.

This is one of those essential sauces every good cook should have in their back pocket ~ and it takes 30 seconds.

Remoulade is tartar sauce’s bolder cousin ~ tangier, spicier, and more layered.

Remoulade started in France, but Louisiana gave it a louder personality. French versions are usually more restrained and pickle-forward; Cajun and Creole versions bring in mustard, horseradish, hot sauce, paprika, and spice. My version lands in the middle: creamy and briny, with enough punch for crab cakes, shrimp, po’ boys, and fried fish.

How to make 30-second remoulade sauce

This is a stir-together sauce, no blender or food processor needed. The only real prep is chopping the pickles, capers, garlic, and herbs nice and fine so they disappear into the sauce but still leave little briny bits in every bite.

1. Finely chop the cornichons or pickles, capers, garlic, parsley, and chives.
2. Add everything to a bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, horseradish, Tabasco, paprika, Cajun seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir until the sauce is completely combined, thick, creamy, and flecked with herbs and pickles.
4. Taste and adjust. Add more lemon for brightness, more horseradish or Tabasco for heat, or a spoonful of mayo if the sauce tastes too sharp.

You can use remoulade right away, but it gets even better after 15–30 minutes in the fridge.

Sue’s tips for remoulade sauce

Chop everything finely

This is a quick stir-together sauce, so the only real prep is chopping the pickles, capers, garlic, and herbs. Keep everything fine so the sauce is creamy but still has little briny bits in every bite.

Keep some texture

A good remoulade should be thick and spoonable, not perfectly smooth or pourable. You want to see flecks of pickle, capers, parsley, and chives running through it.

Taste before you salt

Capers, pickles, Cajun seasoning, mustard, and hot sauce all bring salt to the party, so taste the sauce before adding more. You may only need a pinch.

Let it sit if you can

You can use remoulade right away, but even 15–30 minutes in the fridge helps the garlic, mustard, horseradish, pickles, and capers settle into the mayo. The flavor gets rounder and less sharp.

Adjust it at the end

If the sauce tastes too strong, stir in a spoonful of mayo. If it’s too thick, loosen it with a squeeze of lemon juice or a tiny splash of pickle brine. If it tastes too mild, add more horseradish, Tabasco, Cajun seasoning, or lemon.

Storing remoulade

Store remoulade sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I don’t recommend freezing mayo-based sauces like this because they can separate.

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30 Second Remoulade Sauce

5 from 9 votes

Master the art of French/Cajun remoulade sauce with my 30 second recipe!

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Prep Time:5 minutes minutes

Total Time:5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 cups

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 4 Tbsp brown mustard
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp capers, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp cornichons or dill pickles, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1-2 tsp Tabasco
• 1 tsp paprika (smoked or regular)
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning (adjust to your spice preference)
• 1/2 tsp sugar, or more to taste
• Salt, if needed, and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Mix everything together really well, and then taste to adjust it in any way. I sometimes add a bit more sugar, or a bit more Tabasco. Normally I don't need to add any salt at all.
• If you'd like to make this in a small food processor there is no need to pre-chop any of the ingredients, just load them into the machine and pulse until you reach your desired consistency. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets evenly incorporated.
• The sauce can be used right away, or chilled. It will thicken up a bit as it chills. Homemade remoulade sauce will last from 1-2 weeks, properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American Southern, French

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: appetizer, sauce, seafood, shellfish

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Tbsp · Calories: 50 kcal · Carbohydrates: 0.4 g · Protein: 0.2 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 3 mg · Sodium: 75 mg · Potassium: 10 mg · Fiber: 0.1 g · Sugar: 0.2 g · Vitamin A: 84 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 2 mg · Iron: 0.1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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What goes with remoulade sauce

Remoulade sauce is made for seafood and fried foods, but don’t stop there. Anywhere you’d use tartar sauce, aioli, or spicy mayo, remoulade probably works.

1. Seafood: Remoulade sauce complements shrimp, crab cakes, fish cakes, oysters, mussels, and fried calamari.
2. Fish & Chips: It makes a great substitute for tartar sauce!
3. Shrimp Cocktail: Replace the standard cocktail sauce with remoulade.
4. Po’ Boys: In Louisiana remoulade sauce is a traditional topping for po’boy sandwiches. It can be used as a spread on other sandwiches like roast beef, turkey, or ham too.
5. Fried Chicken: Remoulade sauce can add a tangy and creamy twist to fried chicken, or spread it on chicken sandwiches.
6. Fried Food: Use as a dipping sauce for French fries or sweet potato fries. This combination is addictive! We love it with fried green beans, fried mushrooms, onion rings, and so much more.
7. Burgers: Spread remoulade sauce on burgers or salmon burgers.
8. Roasted Vegetables: Use as a dressing for roasted or grilled vegetables. It can add a burst of flavor to cauliflower, asparagus, or roasted potatoes.
9. Crab or Shrimp Salad: Mix remoulade with fresh crab or shrimp to create a fabulous seafood salad.
10. Deviled Eggs: For a cajun twist on deviled eggs, add remoulade sauce to the mayo for your filling.
11. Cold Seafood Platter: Serve as a dipping sauce alongside a cold seafood platter with shrimp, crab, oysters, and other shellfish.
12. Crudité Dip: Add a touch of decadence to your next crudité platter!