Cut the cucumber in half. Save one half to slice for dunking or using in a recipe such as gyros, etc.
Grate the cucumber. Toss with a pinch of salt and place the grated cucumber in a sieve (fine or small mesh strainer) over a small bowl to drain. This is important to remove the extra moisture so that the tzatziki does got get thinned out.
Leave to drain in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight. (You can skip the straining and just press as much liquid out as you can if you are in a time crunch, it will just result in a tzatziki that is a little thinner).
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, dill, garlic, oil, juice of 1 lemon, and salt. Stir together.
Add the grated cucumber to the yogurt mixture and chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes. Season to taste with additional lemon, salt, garlic, and dill as desired.
Serve as part of a recipe or a dip with cucumbers, pita bread, carrots, etc.
Notes
You can serve the tzatziki immediately, and even skip the cucumber draining if you are using it right away. But it does taste best if you give it time to sit so that the flavors meld together.This tzatziki is great as a dip, but can also be used as a dressing in pasta salads, on gyros, burgers, wraps, and more.You can use dried herbs in place of fresh with most recipes. Simply reduce the amount as typically 1 Tbsp of fresh herbs is equivalent to 1 tsp dried.