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Tartar
Taste Test
Tartar sauce, depending who you ask, is made of mayonnaise mixed with all or some of the following: capers, pickles, olives, lemon juice or vinegar, olives or shallots and seasonings. The Gourmet Cookbook's recipe lists 13 ingredients; in a pinch, you can make tartar sauce by combining relish and mayonnaise, but it's not quite the same. At Fisherman's Market, an array of eight sauces makes the ingredient list quite a bit longer. Such variety also offers a challenge: How to choose just two or three with your order? Which is the best companion to their tender, fried-to-perfection fish of choice? Sauce selection, it should be noted, is often a matter of deeply held personal belief, like the eternal question of whether malt vinegar or ketchup is better on fries. (For the record, vinegar catches delightfully on the many crevices of the Market's scrumptious, waffle-cut fries.) Some people would doubtless find the very notion of sullying the traditional tartar off-putting, but this is deep-fried fish condiment we're talking about. Some playfulness seems completely in order. (The Market also plays with its coleslaw. Think you don't like slaw? Just try the peanut-coconut or cilantro-lime and see if it doesn't change your mind.) A few sauces were dismissed early, like the Rasta Mon Vibration, which all tartar testers thought tasted too much of cinnamon. The Tijuana Terror, jalapeño and lime, was nice, though the jalapeño hid under the sweeter mayonnaise. Bombay Bomber? Tasty on initial contact, but the curry left a lingering, powdery aftertaste. Ragin' Cajun's spicy shrimp and green onions had a mild kick but was still underwhelming. The Market's traditional tartar sauce is downright delicious, and threatened to lead the pack; the sweet and spicy Capt'n Dick's Cocktail Sauce did the job, but was too different to be a real competitor. Ultimately, the winners were clear: the sweet, tart, sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic flavors of Mediterranean Madness were universally admired, but only the Orient Express caused expressions of awe and adoration. It's not surprising: the combination of cucumber, wasabi, soy and ginger tastes familiar to anyone who's ever eaten sushi. It's a dream pairing, the decadent, battered fish and the light but zingy sauce, somewhat thinner in consistency than your normal tartar but with a good texture. From the gleaming mound of deep red roe on ice to the tanks of scrabbling crabs, Fisherman's Market has much to offer beyond fish and chips. We kept things simple this time around, but everything in the low-key fish-lover's paradise begs for consideration — not to mention salivation.
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