Homemade Tzatziki Sauce Will Make Your Tuna Burgers Shine

If you're looking for a way to upgrade tuna burgers, we've got a recipe that uses a condiment that's usually found in Greek dishes: Homemade tzatziki sauce. In case you haven't heard of this creamy and tangy condiment, it's made of cucumbers, dill, lemon, Greek yogurt, and a few other ingredients you might have had on a gyro or with falafel. Our recipe for pan-seared tuna burgers with this delicious cucumber sauce is brought to you by Tasting Table recipe developer Michelle McGlinn, who also tops these tuna burgers with sliced red onion and alfalfa sprouts.

"These burgers are still budget-friendly and use pantry ingredients you probably already have," says McGlinn. "The patties alone are delicious, but where the burgers really start to shine is the fresh and creamy cucumber yogurt sauce."

Tzatziki works well with tuna burgers for a couple of reasons. For starters, the freshness and zestiness from the cucumbers, lemon, and fresh dill elevate the otherwise bland flavors of canned tuna. It's also a tastier alternative to mayonnaise or tartar sauce, the more common condiments used on tuna burgers. In addition, the creaminess of the Greek yogurt and crunchiness of the grated cucumbers add layers of texture.

The most important ingredient in the tzatziki is arguably the cucumber because it's the star of the sauce. Grab a cucumber, wash it, and use a cheese grater to shred about half of it. This recipe calls for a quarter cup of grated cucumber, so measure it then grate more if needed. Next, wrap the grated cucumber in paper towels and squeeze until all of the water is drained. Make sure all of the liquid is gone because you don't want your sauce to turn out thin and watery.

The other ingredients for this tangy sauce are a half cup of Greek yogurt, a quarter cup of finely chopped fresh dill, 2 tablespoons of your best olive oil, juice from half of a lemon, salt, and black pepper. Combine the cucumbers in a bowl with those other ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. After the tuna burgers are cooked, McGlinn suggests topping them with a "heaping spoonful" of the sauce, sliced red onion, and alfalfa sprouts on your preferred bun. If you want to switch things up, we think avocado, feta cheese, arugula, and spinach all pair well with the flavors of the tuna and cucumber sauce.