Ditch The Tartar Sauce — Fried Fish Sandwiches Are Better With This Spread

There's just something about a good fish sandwich that checks all the right boxes. Crisp, savory breaded fish nestled between layers of fresh, crisp veggies inside lightly toasted bread that's still warm and tender beneath the crackly crust. Best of all is a generous schmear of creamy, tangy sauce. Usually that means tartar sauce (which wasn't invented by the Tartars), but if you're looking for something a bit fancier and packed with even more flavor, your best bet is a remoulade.

In fact, remoulade is one of the tastiest spreads you can put on a fried fish sandwich because of the beautifully complex flavor it offers. Though both sauces are tasty and start with a mayonnaise base, classic tartar sauce is usually a simple mix of mayo, minced dill pickles, a little onion and maybe some capers. Remoulade, on the other hand, includes ingredients like spicy hot sauce, zesty Creole seasoning and Dijon mustard, fresh herbs, and even a little sweet pickle relish.

Blended together, these ingredients create a perfectly balanced flavor that'll bring even the simplest fried fish sammie to the next level. Often used on po' boys accompanied by simple ingredients like freshly sliced tomato and iceberg lettuce, remoulade becomes the foundational flavor of the sandwich, using its nuance to elevate each ingredient while also bridging the gap between them. The punch of flavor cuts through the richness of the fried fish, offering contrast that's sure to please almost any palate.

The best part about using remoulade to build your fried fish sandwich like a pro is that today's grocery stores often sell jars of it alongside tartar and cocktail sauce. This is the perfect way to go if you're making a ton of sandwiches for a gathering or throwing together a tasty, balanced weeknight meal with frozen, breaded fish filets. In fact, pairing remoulade (either homemade or store-bought) with breaded fish from the freezer aisle is a great way to elevate such a simple convenience food, proving you can still have a nice meal even when you're in a hurry.

Of course, since remoulade contains a broad array of flavors, you'll want to make sure your sandwich's toppings don't clash with your favorite brand. Fresh veggies are almost always a good choice, and you can feel free to branch out beyond lettuce and tomato with thin slices of cucumber, red onion, or even radishes. Roasted or grilled vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, or Vidalia onions, are also a tasty choice, provided you season them simply so they take on the flavors in the remoulade.

Additionally, if you can't find a store-bought remoulade with all of the flavors you're looking for, it's more than okay to zhuzh up a jar with your own ingredients. If you like it spicier, add a few dashes of Tabasco or even buffalo sauce. If the flavor isn't intense enough, try adding a squeeze of lemon juice.