The Best Tzatziki Sauce Ever.
Strain your yogurt thick, salt the cucumbers dry, then hit it with dill, garlic, and vinegar for a sauce with real backbone
Strain your yogurt thick, salt the cucumbers dry, then hit it with dill, garlic, and vinegar for a sauce with real backbone
Ingredients
Ingredients
- FOR THE CUCUMBERS:
- 1 pound of cucumbers, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise, seeded
- FOR THE YOGURT:
- 1 quart of Greek yogurt, strained in cheesecloth for 24 hours
- PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER
- 1 bunch of fresh dill
- 2 oz garlic cloves, mashed
- 1/4 cup EVOO
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Method
-
01
Strain Greek yogurt in cheesecloth
1440 minMust be done 24 hours ahead; refrigerate during straining.
-
02
Wash, trim, quarter, and seed cucumbers
8 minGet your cucumbers prepped clean and split them lengthwise so you can scoop out those watery seeds — that's what separates good tzatziki from watery garbage.
-
03
Cut cucumbers to desired texture
5 minCut them into half-moons or small dice, depending on how chunky you like your sauce, then salt them heavily and let them sit for 10 minutes to weep out their moisture.
-
04
Salt cucumbers and drain in colander
30 minCan drain up to 4 hours for best results; refrigerate.
-
05
Mash garlic cloves
4 minMash those garlic cloves into a fine paste using the side of your knife and a pinch of salt — you want it almost creamy, not chunky bits floating around.
-
06
Chop fresh dill
3 minRough-chop your dill right before you mix, keeping it loose and leafy so it holds onto its bright flavor instead of turning dark and bitter.
-
07
Combine all ingredients and mix well
5 minCan refrigerate after mixing for deeper flavor development.
From Mike's Notebook
Salt your cucumbers and let them sit — they'll weep out water that dilutes everything else.
Mash garlic instead of mincing it; you want broken cells releasing oils, not tiny firm bits.
Strain your yogurt a full day ahead or the sauce stays thin and tastes like sour milk.