Homemade Meyer Lemon Salt with Edamame

 

Is it possible to be a foodie and food blogger and never have purchased Meyer lemons? I think it is folks. Cause guess who has two thumbs and has never baked or cooked with Meyer lemons? This girl! Sure, I've been to restaurants and bakeries and enjoyed dishes, desserts and pastries with this hybrid citrus. But until recently I have never bought them myself. So when I saw Meyer lemons at my local Harmons I bought two pounds.

 

Sure there were so many different things I could make. I've thought about Meyer lemon cupcakes. Or how about a Spring risotto with Meyer lemons and asparagus or peas? And my friends Becky and Maria recently made a Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake that looked insanely tempting. But nope, I have yet to bake or truly cook with Meyer lemons. Instead what did Domestic Becky do? I juiced them. I decided my first at-home experience with Meyer lemons was going to be in their most natural state. 

So I juiced and then blended up a Meyer lemon slushie. After I juiced the first lemon, I thought to myself. "Holy crap! Why didn't you zest this baby? Hello, Becky! The zest from Meyer lemons are like gold. They are coveted. You fool!" So then I zested every last bit of rind from that pound of Meyer lemons. I wasn't in the mood to make lemon curd and didn't want to try my first experiment with freezing zest so I thought back to my Tahitian vanilla bean days. I'd made vanilla sugar, so surely I could make lemon sugar. But then I stared at my counter and saw my salt. Ah yes, Meyer Lemon Salt! That's what I'll do.

 

And that I did. I grabbed a cute jar from some jam I received last fall and started layering lemon zest and kosher salt. It was so pretty. I thought it would be a good aesthetic thing, that layering. But then I decided I knew better. When I bake with lemon zest I always rub the zest and sugar to extract the optimum amount of lemon oil into the sugar. You know, to enhance flavor. So I dumped my kosher salt-Meyer-lemon combo into a boil and rubbed away. Ah the smell! It was beautiful, I tell you.

 

 I went to bed happy that night. I'd enjoyed my slushie and I knew the world of salt and seasoning was ahead of me with my new creation. The next day I steamed up some edamame, a favorite snack of mine, and sprinkled this gorgeous (and might I add homemade) Meyer Lemon Salt onto them. It was a killer snack, and you must try. It reminded me a fun appetizer at a local restuarant that features a dish called Dualing Edamame. One half of the plate is cold edamame with lemon salt and the other is hot edamame with bacon fat drizzled all over. It's great.

 

So next time you have your hands on some Meyer lemons and have some extra zest, grab a jar, add some salt and make yourself some Meyer Lemon Salt. There really is not exact ration, just use what you have and keep adding to it. Obviously, the more Meyer lemon zest, the better! It's great. I'm gearing up for some great dishes that will feature it. I'm thinking to sprinkle it on asparagus, peas and other sides for our Easter dinner.

I'm still looking to bake up something with my other pound of Meyer lemons so send me your suggestions!

Homemade Meyer Lemon Salt

by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:

Meyer Lemon zest (any amount)

Kosher Salt (any amount)

Directions:

Place desired amount of lemon zest and Kosher salt in small bowl. Rub salt and Meyer lemon zest together until salt becomes a bit moist. You'll notice a minor change in texture and an abundance of citrus aroma. Move into clean class jar and store close by because you'll want to use this salt often!

Notes: I used the zest of about 1 pound of Meyer Lemons with about 1/2 cup kosher salt.

* Spark Restaurant and Lounge is pretty good. I recently returned as the last time I'd been was like 2010 and I kept having lack-luster experiences. I'm happy to report it's pretty descent again. I recommend their Dualing Edamame and their homemade chipotle mac n' cheese.