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Spicy Cajun flavors will always remind me of visiting my grandparents. They lived in a small town just outside of New Orleans called Slidell. Some of my favorite memories are of us going out to eat at a local spot where I’d always order a big basket of fried shrimp.
One time, they served it with this delicious mayo-like sauce, but it was different—it had a spicy kick that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. My curiosity got the best of me, so I had to ask the waitress. She replied, “Oh honey, that’s just Remoulade Sauce!” I’ve never been able to settle for plain mayo ever since.
Remoulade makes the best sauce to dip baked potato wedges and sweet potato fries in, or drizzled on top of crab cakes or a blackened fish taco. The options really are endless! While the list of ingredients might seem a little long, don’t let that intimidate you. Most of them are probably already in your kitchen!
What is Remoulade Sauce?
Remoulade sauce is a traditional Louisiana sauce with a mayonnaise base, often including Creole mustard, paprika, garlic, and Cajun or blackened seasoning. In the recipe below, it gets a kick from Louisiana-style hot sauce and a tang from pickle relish and prepared horseradish.
Remoulade is sometimes confused with tartar sauce, which is made with mayonnaise and pickles but lacks the spicy components like Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, or paprika. You can tell the difference by their color: remoulade has a red hue, while tartar sauce is white.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Mayonnaise. Duke’s mayo is my go-to, but Hellmann’s and even an avocado oil-based kind will work great.
- Mustard. Creole mustard is used in this recipe and is key to getting that classic flavor. If you can’t find it, spicy or regular mustard are suitable substitutes.
- Pickle relish. Dill or sweet both work, but will affect how sweet the sauce is. In a pinch, finely dice up pickles in place of relish.
- Lemon juice. Adds a bit of freshness to the sauce. Freshly squeezed is best, but bottled juice will work, as well.
- Paprika and Cajun seasoning. These spices give it the flavor we know and love! Try this Blackened Seasoning for a little less heat.
- Horseradish. Make sure you do not leave this ingredient out! It’s super important to get that authentic flavor. However, decrease the amount used for less of a kick.
- Hot sauce. A Louisiana style is best, such as Tabasco sauce. Other types of sauce, like Sriracha, will work but will affect the flavor.
- Fresh garlic. Use minced garlic if possible. Feel free to sub ¼ teaspoon garlic powder if you do not have a clove.
How to Make Remoulade Sauce
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions.
1. Gather the ingredients and whisk.
Once you have gathered all of your ingredients, simply place them in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well combined.
To save dishes and clean up time, mix them together in the jar or glass container you’ll be storing it in.
2. Refrigerate and Serve
Refrigerate sauce for 1-2 hours or up to 24 hours before serving. This step is critical, so don’t skip it! Letting the sauce rest for a few hours allows all of the flavors to meld together before serving.
Store-Bought Remoulade Sauce Brands
While I am obviously a huge proponent of making this easy recipe from scratch, there are a few brands that sell prepared remoulade sauce if you are short on time:
FAQs
Typically associated with Cajun food from New Orleans and Louisiana in general, remoulade sauce begins with a mayonnaise base and is enhanced with mustard, seasonings, hot sauce, and horseradish.
Remoulade sauce goes on just about anything you might put mayonnaise on. Try it on fried pickles, sandwiches (especially po’boys), crabcakes, fried fish, or fried green tomatoes.
Aioli is an emulsified sauce, usually made from oil, garlic, and egg. It can be seasoned, but it is closer to mayonnaise. Remoulade is a sauce that begins with an aioli, like mayonnaise, and is then kicked up with spices.
What to Serve with Remoulade Sauce?
There are so many dishes and recipes you can serve with this flavorful sauce:
- Blackened Salmon
- Baked Potato Wedges
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Crab Cakes
- Salmon Burgers
- Air Fryer Fish
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Cajun Remoulade Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise*
- 3 Tbsp. Creole mustard or spicy
- 2 Tbsp. pickle relish dill or sweet
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
- 2 tsp. prepared horseradish
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. hot sauce such as Tabasco
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.1 cup mayonnaise*, 3 Tbsp. Creole mustard, 2 Tbsp. pickle relish, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning, 2 tsp. prepared horseradish, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. hot sauce
- Store remoulade sauce for 1-2 hours or overnight so the flavors can meld together for best taste.
- Serve remoulade sauce with baked potato wedges, over fried fish, with crab cakes or chicken and enjoy!
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Notes
- Prep Ahead: This sauce should be made at least 2 hours ahead of time, or 1-2 days before for best flavor.
- Storage: Keep leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freezing mayonnaise tends to cause separation, freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this today, to go with crab cakes. I also want to use it with blackened shrimp and veggies. Although it was tasty, with just the right amount of heat (made exactly as written), I found it a touch too salty for our tastes. Perhaps I should have used sweet relish rather than dill? I’ll try that next time.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Susan! Unfortunately different ingredients have differing amounts of salt. I hope you try it again. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Is the mustard powder or prepared? Thank you
Creole or spicy mustard, the prepared condiment, is called for in this recipe.
We’re used to a Danish remoulade sauce. This spicy delight was a revelation! Now becoming one of our go to recipes for so many dish accompaniments. Thank you!
PS: love the crab cakes too!!😊
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Lesley! So glad it’s a new go-to. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Thank you for this recipe, so glad I found it. Well I put it together with pantry items I had on hand as I limit trips to the store these days. No relish, but I did have olive tapenade and used 1 tbls. Alas, no horseradish bit it turned out delicious just the same. I made this before breakfast and could not stop tasting it. This will go great with bang bang shrimp for dinner later.
So happy you enjoyed it! And sounds like you made some great substitutions. Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
Lots of spice and full of flavor. Made this remoulade sauce to go with some bbq-spiced shrimp.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Nancy!! Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂 I bet the bbq shrimp were amazing!
Absolutely love remoulade sauce. I cannot wait to make this at home!
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
I made it exactly as the recipe stated. I thought it tasted like too much mayo, and was a tad bit salty. I am letting it sit in the fridge, to blend and will taste it later. I noticed an asterik by the mayo, but never an explanation of why it was there. Next time, I think I will cut down on the mayo a little bit.
Thank you so much for your honest review, Cody! It definitely largely depends on the type/brand of ingredients used. The asterisk next to mayo is that you can use avocado oil mayo if Paleo or Whole30 (mentioned in the recipe notes.) Thanks for your comment!