Chef John's Tzatziki Sauce

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 3 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 large English cucumber, peeled and grated

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups Greek yogurt

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

½ lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 sprig fresh dill for garnish

1 pinch cayenne pepper for garnish

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Sprinkle grated cucumber with ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl and let stand 10 to 15 minutes to draw out juice.

Place yogurt into a separate bowl. Dump cucumber and its juice onto a sturdy, dry paper or cloth towel and squeeze as much moisture as possible from the cucumber. Mix cucumber into yogurt. Add garlic, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice; mix thoroughly.

Stir dill and mint into yogurt-cucumber mixture; season with salt and black pepper. Adjust all seasonings to taste.

For best results, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a sprig of dill and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper for color.

Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 49 kcal
• Total Fat: 3 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 8 mg
• Sodium: 120 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0 g
• Total Sugars: 1 g
• Protein: 2 g