Mecca Ibrahim blog: Getting to know Yuzu

The latest in 2014’s monthly blogs on seasonal ingredients and their uses in some of the world’s best kitchens from food blogger and head of social media at Great British Chefs, Mecca Ibrahim.

The yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with a very distinctive flavour.  Imagine a lemon crossed with a mandarin orange and you’ll be close to discovering its acidic taste with blossomy notes. As with lemons or limes you can use yuzu juice in both savoury and sweet dishes.  The Japanese add it to cocktails, to make liquor like yuzukomachi.  It was even used to flavour Asian-inspired Dutch beer, Iki.  

Now that we see yuzu juice creeping into more Western kitchen, the uses for this fruit are becoming more diverse, from salmon glazes and salad dressings thought to sweet curds and jellies.

It is almost impossible to get hold of fresh yuzu in the UK, but bottled yuzu juice is becoming more widely available. However, be aware that there’s a big difference between 100% pure yuzu juice, and 'yuzu citrus seasoning', which contains a much lower percentage of the juice. Once opened, you should use the bottled juices within four weeks. One drop goes a long way, and more chefs are using it to develop exciting new recipes.   

A single drop of yuzu juice might be used to dress an opened oyster for example.  It can also be incorporated into a ceviche marinade, or added to a mayonnaise. For sweet recipes try using it as an essence or a replacement to orange blossom water. A few drops go a long way to flavour jellies, custards, ices or meringues.

Nuno Mendes of London’s Chiltern Firehouse is a fan and uses a dash of yuzu in his delicious panna cotta recipe.  It’s also a key component for flavouring his tangy, jellied petit fours. 

Mark Dodson of The Mason’s Arms has an exquisite Japanese salmon recipe which is enhanced by the fresh, East Asian flavours of yuzu, mirin and coriander seeds. The fish is briefly dipped into an acidic marinade so is almost raw when it is served. Serve with a lightly pickled salad of enoki tops, radishes and mooli for a truly flavoursome dish.

Many chefs use yuzu powder, which is available from specialist retailers.  Blogger Victoria Glass uses it as an ingenious alternative to lemon juice in her refreshing yet creamy yuzu posset recipe.

For more yuzu recipes and advice on cooking with yuzu visit Great British Chefs. 

Mecca is Head of Social Media at Great British Chefs. At work she is known for her chocolate desserts and boundless enthusiasm for social media. She has spent the last 10 years in community management and online marketing at some of the biggest and most innovative internet businesses out there (Yahoo, Justgiving, moo.com and Joost). She also hosts an annual food blogging competition called Nom Nom Nom.