Upgrade your boring fish sandwiches with a spoonful of this Greek sauce

If you're going to the trouble of frying fish for sandwiches, battling it, dipping it, controlling the temperature, and discarding the oil, the other ingredients should be excellent, too. You can make an even better fish sandwich with well-chosen seasonings, a perfectly toasted roll, and a less common dressing than the tartar sauce you might be used to. Tzatziki, a Greek classic, for example, is the perfect sauce for a spectacular fish sandwich.

Tzatziki is made by blending cucumber and garlic in a base of strained yogurt. Salt and extra virgin olive oil are also typical ingredients, and lemon is a bit less common, but there are countless variations. You can adjust the proportions to your liking: mince more garlic cloves if you prefer a stronger flavor, or use less cucumber if you prefer the vegetable to be just a garnish. You can even adapt tzatziki to accompany fish sandwiches, rather than simply adding it to a plate of crudités.

How to optimize tzatziki for fish sandwiches

Most supermarkets and grocery stores probably carry at least one variety of tzatziki, but it's also very easy to make at home. It's also a great way to use up leftover cucumbers in the crisper drawer, yogurt that's about to expire, and garlic you forgot you bought. For a fairly mild sauce, add half a chopped cucumber and one or two cloves of garlic to a cup of Greek yogurt. A pinch of salt, as mentioned earlier, never hurts.

Be careful not to omit other liquid ingredients when preparing tzatziki for fried fish, which should remain crispy. Once fried fish is drained on paper towels, it can quickly lose its crispness. Minimizing moisture helps maintain its ideal texture for longer. A thick tzatziki won't ruin the fried fish too much when eating a sandwich, but the more you thin it with common ingredients like lemon juice, the more liquid will seep into the batter. A little lemon zest, on the other hand, has a similar effect without adding drops. Even removing the seeds from cucumbers to eliminate excess water can keep the tzatziki thick and the fish sandwich crispy.