General Description: The yuzu (Citrus ichangensis x Citrus reticulate) is a Japanese citrus fruit about the size of a tangerine with an intense lemon-lime flavor and rough, fragrant skin. Yuzu, one of the most cold resistant of the citrus fruits, grows wild in Tibet and the interior of China. Bright yellow when ripe, the thick uneven skin encloses pale flesh containing many pips. It is commonly grown in Japan, where it’s a prized culinary ingredient. It is stronger in flavor than lemon, with a hint of tangerine, grapefruit, and pine.
When harvested early in the season, yuzu is lime-colored, but by season’s end, the fruits turn lemon yellow. Young dark green yuzu is comparable to citron or lime, the mature yellow fruit to a lemon. The surface of the yuzu is rough and uneven, and the peel’s fragrance is unlike any citrus familiar in Western countries. It is an important ingredient in ponzu, a Japanese dipping sauce. There is a tradition in Japan to take a yuzu-yu, or a yuzu bath, on the evening of the winter solstice. This is a hot bath to which several whole yuzus are added; they float.
Season: Yuzus are available November through May, in very limited quantities at specialty and Japanese markets.
Purchase: Look for firm, rough-skinned fruit.
Avoid: Pass up shriveled fruit of fruit with any mold.
Storage: Store yuzu in plastic for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Preparation:
Note: Yuzu juice is very fresh and tangy, though too acidic to be drunk on its own.
Serving Suggestions: Marinate bay scallops in yuzu juice for seviche, or mix tuna tartare with mango and yuzu juice. Add yuzu juice to iced tea. Combine yuzu juice, soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, and grapeseed oil to make a salad dressing. Garnish clear soups with grated yuzu rind.
Flavor Affinities: Bitter greens, gin, mango, matsutake mushrooms, mirin, miso, olive oil, raw fish, rice wine vinegar, seviche, shell-fish, soy sauce, sweet onions, tea tofu, tuna, vodka.
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