Yuzu is a form of citrus that has attracted fans well outside of its original East Asian place of origin. Cultivation of the fragrant fruit with floral overtones has expanded to the Mediterranean, New Zealand, and Australia, but whole fruits are still difficult to find in the U.S. However, it's fairly easy to find the juice, as Aleksandra Crapanzano explains in a Wall Street Journal article about this "citrusy ray of sunshine".
You can use yuzu almost anywhere you would add lemon: in vinaigrettes, sauces, cocktails and baking. Because the flavor isn't as sharp as lemon, you can use it more liberally in desserts, says Crapanzano, noting that yuzu "allows for a true infusion of flavor and aroma." She notes that it pairs well with seafood, and provides a handful of recipes at the end of the article.
The EYB Library also contains a plethora of ideas on how to use yuzu juice and the fruit itself. There are over 2,000 recipes containing yuzu, with 330+ of those available online. Here are some of the most popular recipes:
- Candy beetroot with lentils and yuzu from Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi
- Pork chops with yuzu-miso marinade from The Japanese Grill by by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat
- Yuzu cream, rhubarb (or plums) and pistachio crumble from The Japanese Larder by Luiz Hara
- Yuzu whisky sour from Delicious Magazine (UK)
- Oysters with yuzu kosho mignonette from Food and Wine Magazine by Justin Chapple (pictured)
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