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Go ahead and dive into this sassy, spicy, tangy New Orleans Remoulade Sauce for the ultimate creamy dip to kick up your favorite seafood creations. With sunny pops of citrus and the bold burst of horseradish and Cajun seasoning, this easy to mix up sauce is perfect for dipping, topping, and just shoveling with a spoon.

I fell in love with the food of Louisiana when I went to college in Pensacola. The Cajun and Creole influence was a living thing that could be experienced in the yearly Mardi Gras parade through downtown, with Moon Pies being tossed instead of beads as well as the food. Where some college students lived on cheap ramen and cold pizza po’boys were in heavy rotation on campus. Whether it was lightly battered oysters or cornmeal crusted shrimp the creamy remoulade remained the same. This sauce is perfect for topping seafood sandwiches, dipping fries, topping lobster fritters, or serving up with grilled shrimp cocktail.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy Process – The only work involved in mixing up this homemade remoulade sauce is chopping the celery and parsley. The rest is just adding everything to the bowl and stirring.
Make Ahead – Some things get better after refrigerating and this sauce is one of them. The mayo thickens back up and the flavors meld and marry.
Accessible Ingredients – There is nothing complicated about any of the ingredients needed for this remoulade sauce recipe. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples you probably already have like mayonnaise, hot sauce, and Worcestershire.
Customizable – On a scale of 1-10 the heat of this sauce is about a 5, but you can easily spice it up by adding more horseradish or hot sauce. You are in complete control of how much of a kick it has.

Ingredients

Mayonnaise – This is the creamy and rich base of the sauce, so you’ll want to pick a high-quality mayo. I recommend Duke’s for the true taste of the south.
Mustard – Creole mustard is the classic choice but if you can’t find it use a good spicy brown mustard. This adds acidity and has a similar spice to the horseradish.
Prepared Horseradish – Start with a tablespoon and you can always add more. This gives a kick and cuts through the richness of the mayonnaise.
Lemon – Both the juice and the zest bring brightness to this sauce that will have you double dipping.
Cajun Seasoning – This not only adds salt and heat but also earthy spices like paprika and the citrusy herbaceous note of thyme.
Worcestershire Sauce – Gives both umami and salt. The anchovies in Worcestershire sauce compliment seafood.
Hot Sauce – Adds vinegary tang. You’ll want a Louisiana style hot sauce. My go-to is Louisiana hot sauce.
Celery – Gives a grassy freshness and also texture. If possible, use the heart with leaves for the most flavor.
Parsley – Adds instant freshness to this sauce that balances the richness.

How to Make Remoulade Sauce

Chop the celery and parsley. Grate the lemon zest before cutting your lemon in half.

Add everything to a bowl. Give it a good stir to make sure everything is combined.
Let the Cajun remoulade refrigerate for at least an hour. Cover your bowl and allow the sauce to refrigerate for at least an hour. You can make this a day or two in advance.
Taste the sauce and adjust if needed. As the sauce chills and the flavors meld together you may find that you may want to add a little more of something. Taste it, but also keep in mind what you’re going to be dipping into it.

Variations

Add finely chopped capers or cornichons.
For a hint of sweetness add a tablespoon or two of ketchup.
Give this spicy remoulade sauce a delicate onion flavor by adding 2-3 finely chopped scallions.
Replace the lemon juice in this with pickle brine. This especially works well if adding cornichons.
Add two grated garlic cloves for a pungent kick.
For texture, add one finely chopped hardboiled egg. This version works especially well if making a salad or shrimp remoulade.

How to Store New Orleans Remoulade Sauce

Because this sauce is mayonnaise based you will want to keep it refrigerated unless being served. Keep it in an airtight container and it will last up to a week.

Tips From the Beach

If you can’t find Creole mustard use either spicy brown mustard or a combination of Dijon mustard and whole grain mustard.
Always grate your lemon zest before squeezing the lemons for juice.
For the most flavor use a celery heart stalk including the leaves.
Make sure that you’re using prepared horseradish and not the cream style. Refrigerated horseradish will also give you the most flavor.