Yuzu is a very precious fruit especially when you live outside of Japan as they are rare and expensive. The zest and juice of yuzu have a wonderful aroma and flavor, and we love using them in Japanese cooking. After juicing yuzu, don’t throw away the peels. Here’s how to store and enjoy yuzu zest.
You’re lucky if you have access to fresh yuzu fruits! I hope you make something delicious with them. There are so many ways to make the best of these precious Japanese citrus, and I have some recipe suggestions for you below.
What to Make with Yuzu
What to Do with Yuzu Peels
If the yuzu recipe didn’t require peels, don’t throw them away! The zest of yuzu is known to have an amazing fragrance and flavor, and you don’t want to waste them.
Different Ways to Enjoy Yuzu Zest
What do we do with all the yuzu zest? Well, it’s hard to use a whole lot of zest in one recipe, but we enjoy them a little at a time. As Japanese cuisine places great emphasis on elements such as color and aroma, yuzu can be the magical ingredient to elevate many dishes.
- Garnish on top of soups (clear soup, miso soup, and mochi soup) and chawanmushi (steamed egg)
- Add to pickles. I love the pickled daikon and pickled turnip with yuzu zest.
- Add to a hot pot or in a dipping sauce.
- Baked goods. Add it to pound cakes and cupcakes.
- Make hot yuzu drink.
How to Prepare and Store Yuzu Zest
In this recipe, I’ll show you a step-by-step guide on how to remove the zest from the peels and store them for later use.
Step 1: Remove pith from peel
Use a sharp knife to gently scrape off the thick white pith that may not have come off with the peel.
Step 2: Make sure all the pith is removed!
You want to scrape off any slivers of pith. The peel without pith is zest.
Step 3: Julienne the zest.
Cut the zest into thin julienned strips.
Step 4: Freeze in the bag
Put the julienned yuzu zest in a resealable plastic bag and freeze the bag flat on a baking sheet.
After 30-60 minutes, the zest is frozen.
Once frozen, yuzu zest is easy to break into pieces. You can break it off as much as you need for your recipe. Or you can break it into smaller pieces and place them in an airtight container. If you prefer to organize your freezer in containers rather than bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can we keep yuzu zest?
You can easily store the zest for a month without sacrificing the freshness. I tend to keep it for half a year at least. It is possible that the zest looses some fragrance and flavor as time passes, but I still enjoy it.
Do we need to defrost first?
No, I break off the amount I need and use it directly without thawing.
Why do we need to remove pith?
Pith tastes bitter, and you do not want to introduce that to your dish, even when you use it as a garnish.
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How to Store Yuzu Zest
Ingredients
- yuzu peels
Instructions
- Gather yuzu peels. The preparation time and yield vary based on how many peels you have. Cut the peels into a smaller size (roughly a quarter of the fruit).
- Use a sharp knife to gently scrape off the thick white pith that may not have come off with the peel.
- You want to scrape off any slivers of pith. The peel without pith is zest.
- The zest is very thin without pith.
- For some recipes, I like to keep a bigger-sized zest. To flash freeze, place the zest on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 30-60 minutes, then transfer the frozen zest into a bag and keep in the freezer.
- Cut the zest into thin julienned strips.
- Put the julienned yuzu zest in a resealable plastic bag and freeze the bag flat on a baking sheet.
- After 30-60 minutes, the zest is frozen. You can break off the zest for your recipe. You do not need to thaw the zest prior to use.
To Store
- Store it in the freezer for a month. I tend to keep it for half a year at least. It’s possible that the zest looses its fragrance and flavor, but it still brings a lot to a dish when needed.
Hi Nami,
I’ll try to preserve Shonan Gold zest using your method. I was wondering if you have or recommend any recipe or other ways to use Shonan Gold. I love it’s flavor, but I can find it only during a short time each year. I’d love to 1) preserve it for longer use, 2) have more ways to use it (recipes). Any ideas or suggestions are appreciated!
Hi Ximena, Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her method.
We don’t have Shonan Gold recipes, however, you can try and save the Shonan Gold taste by using the Yuzu recipe.
Here are some recipes to get you started.
We hope you like them.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yuzu-marmalade/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yuzu-sorbet/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yuzu-ice-cream/
I dry other citrus in my dehydrator, so if one wants dry storage, this may also work for yuzu.
Hi Deni! Thank you very much for sharing your idea!
Dehydrator sounds great! It should work for Yuzu.🙂
Thanks for writting about how to store them, that’s a great way to preserve the essence of yuzu. They are very hard to come by and I tend to get a bunch when I can.
Where can you find fresh yuzu? I have tried to look around Japanese and Korean markets in the bay area but not much luck.
Hi Gary! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and for your kind feedback!
We usually find fresh Yuzu at Japanese markets in our area during the season. But we sometimes see it at Farmer’s Market. Have you checked out Farmer’s Markets?