Tzatziki: The Must Have Summer Dip Or Side
Cooling and refreshing tzatziki is an essential part of summer. Made with strained yoghurt, cucumber, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs, it's a real delight. Although it makes a lovely accompaniment to many Greek dishes, it's a meze must and useful addition to all sorts of meals. Use it as a dip, a sauce or side dish to elevate simple meals or enhance your favourite summer recipes.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 107kcal
Equipment
- microplane (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber English type, or use 1 Persian cucumber
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 150 g Greek yoghurt or other strained yoghurt - full fat is best
- 1 clove garlic finely grated
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh mint or use dill - finely chopped
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. I do this straight into the compost bin.½ cucumber
- Grate the cucumber using the coarse side of a box grater. Scrape the lot into a sieve, mix the salt into it and leave to drip for an hour or so. Suspend the sieve over a jug to collect the cucumber water, it makes a most refreshing drink. If you don't have time to do this, line the sieve with a piece of muslin or sheet of kitchen towel. Gather up the ends and squeeze as much of the liquid out as you can.1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- Once the cucumber has drained, transfer it to a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add the yoghurt along with the remaining ingredients and stir until everything is well combined.150 g Greek yoghurt, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp fresh mint
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least half an hour, but up to four hours. The flavours need a bit of time to develop and meld. The longer you leave it, the mellower the garlic becomes too. It's also at its best served cold. Stir again just before serving and taste test. If you feel it needs a bit more salt, stir a little in.
Notes
If using as a dip or part of a meze spread, transfer the tzatziki into a serving bowl, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top and decorate with mint (or dill fronds) if liked.
You can swap fresh mint for dried, but you'll only need a pinch.
For a zesty kick, finely grate some of the lemon peel into the mix.
You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.
Nutrition
Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 130mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 0.3mg