Add This Spicy Condiment To Your Tartar Sauce For Better Fish Sandwiches

Part of what makes restaurant fish sandwiches taste so much better than homemade ones is that chefs know how to lean into new flavors, whether that's seasoning, specialty meats, or freshly baked bread. But if you're a home chef that doesn't have as much time to experiment, your best bet is to play with the sauce, and few ingredients pair quite so well with fish as wasabi.

Wasabi is a truly unique ingredient that combines the back-of-your-sinuses heat of horseradish with the rich, grassy flavors of herbs. It's unmistakable and immediately noticeable, making it the perfect mix-in for a sauce since it imparts so much oomph with hardly any flavor. It's also one of the few ingredients that pairs well with fish and won't get outshone by the powerful tastes of mayo, acid, and herbs in tartar sauce. Even just a teaspoon of wasabi paste in a cup of mayonnaise is enough to seriously upgrade your meal.

Wasabi also tricks your senses with fish, toning down the oily richness of fatty flavors, so you experience others more strongly. Even if you prefer lean fish, like cod and haddock, it can still make your mayo-rich sauce taste a bit lighter and more refreshing, perfect for hot weather dining. Served on top of a deep-fried filet, you end up with something that combines a staple of sushi with the comforting hominess of a fish fry.

Your tartar sauce should already have plenty of salt and acid, two of the five main flavors, plus heat from wasabi. When considering how to upgrade your sauce, try to find ways to incorporate bitterness, umami, or sweetness, depending on the type of fish you're serving.

Kewpie is the best store-bought mayo (and a Japanese staple) thanks to the insane level of umami it gets from MSG and egg yolks. If you use it in lieu of your traditional mayonnaise, you get something exponentially more hearty that's amazing when paired with grilled or blackened fish. On fried fish, it may be a bit too rich, but even substituting half of your mayonnaise with it can produce some seriously delicious results. If you don't have access to Kewpie, small amounts of Worcestershire, soy sauce, and other umami-laden ingredients can achieve the same result without altering the flavor profile too much.

Tartar sauce generally doesn't call for bitter ingredients, but small additions like grated lemon peel with a touch of pith can make all the difference. While not super noticeable, it adds a subtle bump to fruitiness and greatly expands the taste even in small amounts. If you're looking for sweetness instead, sweet pickle relish never pairs poorly with fish and adds extra vegetable flavor that blends perfectly with wasabi. Even minced bread and butter pickles can do the trick if they're all you have, giving you a sweet heat similar to American hot wings.