Lemon
Lemon is a bright, acidic citrus used across nearly every cuisine to season, balance richness, and preserve.
How to buy
Choose lemons that feel heavy for their size (a sign of juiciness), with firm but slightly yielding, smooth, fine-grained skin -- smoother skin generally means more juice. Bright yellow color is typical, though a slight green tinge usually just signals a less ripe, more tart fruit rather than a problem. Avoid soft spots, mold, or fruit that feels hard and dry.
How to store
Lemons keep about a week on the counter at room temperature, where they're more aromatic and juicier. For longer storage, refrigerate in the crisper drawer, ideally in a bag, for 3-4 weeks. Both zest and juice freeze well for months -- freeze zest flat on a tray and juice in ice cube trays.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Sharply sour and acidic juice with a bright, clean citrus flavor. The zest -- avoiding the bitter white pith underneath -- carries concentrated floral, aromatic citrus oils quite different from the juice's straightforward sourness.
- Texture
- Juicy flesh in segmented membranes. Zest grates into a fine, aromatic dust. A whole preserved (salt-cured) lemon softens into a silky, almost jammy rind.
- Aroma
- Bright and sharp, concentrated almost entirely in the zest's essential oils -- the juice alone is far less aromatic than the zest.
How to prepare
- Juiced — Pressed for its acidic juice, used in dressings, marinades, and drinks.
- Zested — The outer peel grated fine for concentrated citrus aroma without added acidity.
- Sliced or wedged — Cut for garnish, squeezing at the table, or cooking directly with the fruit.
- Preserved — Salt-cured over weeks until the rind softens into a pickled, intensely flavored condiment.
Classic dishes
American
- Lemon meringue pie — A tart lemon custard pie topped with toasted meringue.
- Lemonade — Lemon juice sweetened and diluted with water into a classic drink.
Italian
- Limoncello — A sweet liqueur infused with lemon zest.
- Lemon risotto — Risotto brightened with lemon zest and juice at the end of cooking.
Japanese
- Lemon ponzu — A citrus-soy dipping sauce brightened with lemon juice.
Indian
- Lemon rice (chitranna) — Rice tempered with spices and tossed with lemon juice.
- Lemon pickle (achaar) — Lemon preserved with salt and spice into a pungent condiment.
French
- Tarte au citron — A classic French tart filled with a smooth, tart lemon custard.
- Lemon beurre blanc — A butter sauce finished with a bright hit of lemon juice.
Thai
- Tom yum with lemon — A hot and sour soup balanced with citrus alongside chile and herbs.
Greek
- Avgolemono soup — A chicken and rice soup thickened and brightened with egg and lemon.
- Lemon roasted potatoes — Potato wedges roasted with lemon juice, garlic, and oregano.
Spanish
- Lemon alioli — An emulsified garlic sauce brightened with lemon juice.
Middle Eastern
- Preserved lemon — Salt-cured lemon used widely in Moroccan tagines and rice dishes.
- Lemon-tahini sauce — A creamy sauce of tahini thinned and brightened with lemon juice.
British & Irish
- Lemon curd — A thick, tart spread made from lemon juice, zest, egg, and butter.
Substitutions
- Lime — More tart and floral than lemon, with a stronger zest; use a little less juice than the recipe calls for in lemon, and go easy on the zest.