COOK: Meyer Lemon Salt- How to Make Homemade Citrus-Infused Salts
You’ve probably seen or tasted fancy flavored finishing salts for sale… did you know that it’s really, really simple to make your own homemade citrus-infused salt?
Once you figure this out, you can experiment with different flavor combinations- other kinds of citrus, adding herbs or spices or hot peppers. There really are infinite possibilities!
This homemade citrus-infused finishing salt can be used immediately on many dishes, but will have the best texture and flavor once the salt has dried and fully infused with the essential oils from the zest and flavor from the juice.
Meyer Lemon Salt Ingredients
Kosher Salt:
I like to use coarse, flaky kosher salt for making homemade citrus salts. The larger crystals are less likely to dissolve when mixed with the lemon zest and juice, and have a nice texture when used as a finishing salt.
Meyer Lemons:
Meyer lemons have a flavor that is sweet and mellow, somewhere between that of a lemon and an orange. They make a delicious flavored salt, especially for using in mixed sweet or savory applications.
You can also use regular lemons or limes for a sharper, stronger flavored salt. You can even use stronger flavored citrus like grapefruit, kumquat, or bitter orange for a very unique flavor!
Using your Meyer Lemon Salt
There are lots of ways to use your homemade lemon salt. You can use it in any dish that calls for lemon pepper (add freshly ground black pepper separately, or blend with the salt if you like).
Try it on grilled meats and fish, broiled or pan-seared trout or salmon, scrambled or poached eggs, or baked potatoes. It’s also delicious sprinkled on slices of melon or tomatoes or to season salads and fresh or roasted vegetables.
Try it on savory oatmeal, or even a pinch to add complexity to a sweet breakfast bowl, like our recipe for Wild Berry Porridge with Honey and Meyer Lemon Salt.
Use it for a flavorful salt rim on your favorite cocktails, like a Salty Dog (gin and grapefruit juice with a salt rim, one of my favorites), Margaritas, Palomas, or spicy brunch Bloody Marys.
Meyer Lemon Salt
Equipment
- 1 microplane can use a fine box or flat grater
Ingredients
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 4 large meyer lemons can sub other citrus as desired
- 2 tbsp meyer lemon juice use the juice from the fruit you zest
Instructions
- Measure the salt into a medium mixing bowl (glass, ceramic, or stainless).
- Zest the lemons (or limes, grapefruit, or whatever citrus you are using) into the bowl of salt. If you are using thin-skinned meyer lemons, you can also finely mince the whole peel and incorporate into the salt rather than just the zest… other citrus is too bitter and pithy for this method though!
- Mix well to distribute zest. Add the citrus juice a little at a time- you may not need all of it, or you may need to add it over time. You don't want to dissolve the salt, but you do want to add flavor and tang. Freeze any remaining juice or refrigerate and use within a few days.
- Spread the salt out on a nonreactive surface- I use a large ceramic or glass plate or platter, or pyrex dish. You want a thin layer, no more than a 1/4" thick.
- Stir the salt daily until it is fully dry. You can incorporate more lemon as it dries if you want a more flavorful salt- the trick is not to add so much that it dissolves the salt.
- If the salt has clumped, break it up in a mortar and pestle, food processor, or blender (just pulse lightly- you don't want to pulverize it into powder) once it has fully dried. When you are certain it is dry (this will vary based on the humidity and temperature in the room) you can bottle it for storage or gifting!
Loved this? Try these recipes!
- How to Make Salted Lemon Pickles
- How to Dehydrate Celery & Make Homemade Celery Salt
- Wild Berry Porridge with Honey and Meyer Lemon Salt
- Lemon-Herb Roasted New Potatoes
- Deviled Eggs with Dill, Preserved Lemon, and Capers
- Spicy Tuna Pasta with Garlic, Lemon, Herbs, and Peas
- Winter Tabbouleh Salad with Moroccan Lemon Vinaigrette