I keep the season going all year by freezing lemon and lime juice in ice cube trays, then I bag them up so they’re at the ready while I’m cooking. There’s just one problem: no zest. There’s nothing like fresh grated citrus zest to brighten up a dish.
This citrus salt does the trick. It’s an easy way to preserve the zest so you can add a pinch to anything, any time of year. It’s also a good way to use a more exotic, super-fragrant citrus like kaffir limes.
We use the leaves of kaffir lime all the time, but the trees give us fruit, too. The limes have very little juice, and what little you can squeeze is very tart and perfumey, but the thick, bumpy peel is a dream for zest lovers.
Use whatever citrus you love and combine it with a good quality salt. I’ve used pink Himalayan salt, coarse Celtic sea salt, and flaky Maldon salt, and all of them worked very well. Sometimes I’ll do a few different mixtures at a time. I’ve also combined several types of citrus. You can’t go wrong. 
Once you’ve dried out the citrus and salt in the oven, you can leave it coarse, or pulse it in a food processor so it’s fine and the zest is fully incorporated. 
It’s perfect for sprinkling over fish and veggies. Stir it into Thai curry. Use it on the rim of your next margarita. I’m sure you’ll think of more.
- 2/3 cup sea salt
- 3 tablespoons citrus zest
- Preheat the oven to 225.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the salt and zest and spread it evenly over the parchment. Bake 60-70 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the zest is completely dry, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- If you want fine salt, pick up the parchment and funnel it into a food processor. Pulse until it's as fine as you like.
- Store in an airtight jar.
Beautiful! I love the idea of the multizest combo. If the Calamondins are tough to zest, you can puree them and dry that out on parchment paper on an oven sheet. Over the summer, pick the Calamondins while they are green and they are much easier to zest. That peel has a completely different, savory flavor.
I appreciate those expert tips! I’ll definitely give the dried puree a whirl. The rind of the fruit on some of the older trees here are a bit thicker, but those pretty ones from the fruit stand on Pine Island have very thin skin. I can’t wait to try the green zest this summer, too! Thank you, Laurie!
You are a gem. Just reading your many ways of using the amazing bounty we have in this area opens my mind up to new and delightful ways of enjoying life. Thank you!
My pleasure, Diane! That made my day! 🙂
Hey Danielle,
I never realized you could do that with zest. Great idea.
I also wanted you to know that I finally opened the jar of Mango Butter you gave me. WoW. It is so think and yummy. So now I will have to do that recipe this mango season. Thank you!
Hi Cheryl! I’m crazy for zest. It smells so good while it’s drying in the oven! So far I can’t pick a favorite. I’m glad you’re enjoying the mango butter! I plan to run my crockpot non-stop with it during mango season this year.
I love this! I made a similar version to give out as a Christmas gift 2 years ago – I try to make a homemade gift every year. But your version looks a thousand times better! All those different citrus varieties! I’m super jelly. I’ve used kaffir lime leaves before – yours, in fact! But I’ve never actually seen the fruit. I bet that zest is ridiculously fragrant.
As you can see, they’re not the most attractive limes, and even my Thai friends are not into the juice. But that zest is everything you’re imagining, same fragrance as the leaves. I’ll send you some when I get another crop.
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