Yuzu is a tart citrus fruit commonly grown in Asia and used frequently in Japanese cooking. In the United States, you can find fresh yuzu from late September through February at farmers markets, Asian food stores, and specialty stores in California. Yuzu is also sold year-round as juice and a chili paste called yuzu kosho, a fermented condiment that adds a unique flavor and spice to everything from butters, as featured in the recipes below, to salad dressings, mayonnaise, and pesto.
Yuzu is often compared to other citrus fruits — sour like lemon, sweet like orange, bitter like grapefruit, sour like lime — but what makes yuzu special is its intensity. Ayako Yuzu, Japanese founder of House of Umami, says the “rich aroma of yuzu peel” enhances the flavor of Japanese dishes like raw and grilled fish and even pasta. Yuzu sources ingredients for chefs, and says every Japanese household has yuzu kosho, which can be used in any dish.
Learn how to use yuzu to add citrus flavor and aroma to everything from cakes to cocktails to caviar.
Pumpkin fritters with yuzu and garlic dipping sauce
Recipe developer Anna Teoktisto blends vibrant yuzu juice, fresh garlic, and smooth Kewpie mayonnaise to create the dipping sauce to accompany this crispy, two-bite appetizer.
Trout tartare with fennel remoulade and tobiko
Chicago chef Larry Feldmeyer serves up buttery-tender fresh trout with a yuzu-infused mayonnaise dressing and yuzu tobiko (citrus-infused caviar) in a beautifully presented entrée that delivers bold flavors and enticing textures.
Yuzu and Lemon Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Hugh Davison
Kat Turner created this citrus dessert by adding yuzu juice to the cake batter and lemon zest to the frosting, then topping it with candied kumquats.
Yuzu pepper honey butter
Victor Protacio / Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling: Christina Daly
Chef Joe Kindred uses yuzu kosho (a Japanese condiment made with fresh fermented chili peppers and fresh yuzu juice) to create this sweet and spicy dip that’s delicious paired with hush puppies, sashimi, steak, or grilled chicken.
Pickled vegetables
Namasu, a Japanese monastic ritual, is thinly sliced vegetables marinated in rice vinegar, which Shinobu Ikue lightens up with floral, sweet-and-tart yuzu juice.
Yuzu mayonnaise Japanese-style chili burger
Charles Namba’s mix of Kewpie mayonnaise, ketchup, and yuzu juice can be refrigerated until ready to use on any burger, but it really adds balance to this one in particular.
Chilled soba salad with yuzu dressing
Lucas Shin dresses these chilled noodles with an all-purpose dressing made with yuzu honey concentrate, yuzu pepper and ponzu sauce to bring out the vibrant fruit flavor of the yuzu.
Yuzu Amaro Spritz
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling: Lucy Simon
Alan Wither of New York restaurant Principe created this citrusy, summery spritzer, with a touch of yuzu for a floral flavor, paired with herby amaro, rosemary and honey.
Oyster mignonette with yuzu pepper
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling: Victoria Granoff / Prop Styling: Karin Olsen
Justin Chapple pairs the citrus and slightly spicy flavors of yuzu kosho with salty, shelled oysters for a chilled appetizer that’s ready in 20 minutes.
Yuzu ponzu sauce
Eric Wolfinger’s ponzu sauce is based on umami-packed soy sauce, mirin, and sweet sake, and is flavored with kombu and bonito flakes, and is enhanced with fresh, tangy, aromatic yuzu juice to add depth to the flavor. Use it as a marinade or dipping sauce.
Cauliflower okonomiyaki
Greg Baxstrom makes a simple yuzu-kosho mayonnaise to drizzle on these delightfully flavorful pancakes, a Japanese tradition often made tableside.
Yuzu Shandy
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling: Emily Neighbors-Hall / Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
F&W’s Lucy Simon shares a fresh take on the popular beer cocktail, using tart, floral Japanese yuzu juice and fresh-squeezed lemon juice for a more complex mix of citrus notes than your standard lemonade or lemon-lime soda.
Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Yuzu Pesto
Chef Ricardo Zarate of Mo-Chica in Los Angeles transforms the hot, spicy, and aromatic Japanese seasoning into a super simple, super delicious pesto with ginger, garlic, lemongrass, coriander, and olive oil that’s perfect for summer seafood.
Salmon with peas, wasabi puree and yuzu
Celebrity chef Eric Ripert will be serving up a Salmon Reale dish of poached, smoked and egg-fried salmon drizzled in a yuzu emulsion.
Sparkling Yuzu Gimlet
Best Chef Season 12 winner Mei Lin jazzes up this hefty gimlet with yuzu juice for a summer treat.
