They may not look that different from regular old dime-a-dozen lemons, but Meyer lemons have a little secret: these soft-skinned fruits are significantly sweeter and less acidic than their super-sour cousins. Once hard to find outside California, Meyer lemons are becoming a more common find in grocery stores, particularly right now in mid-winter as they start coming into season. What do you like to do with Meyer lemons?
Meyers get their signature sweetness from a bit of mandarin orange in their family tree. This is also what gives Meyer lemons their deep golden color, roundness, and smooth rind. Despite being sweeter, you still won't want to eat a Meyer lemon whole. They're sour but they lack the eye-tingling wallop of acid that regular lemons have. On the whole, Meyers are more subtle, perfumed, and aromatic.
When buying Meyer lemons, look for fruits that are plump and deeply yellow all over. If you see any hint of green, the lemons are under-ripe and probably not worth the extra pennies. If you are able to touch and smell the lemons, make sure they feel heavy for their size and smell fragrant when you gently rub the skin.
Back home, use Meyers almost anywhere you'd use regular lemons. If you only have a few and want the full on Meyer lemon experience, squeeze the juice and use it in cocktails, lemonade, or salad dressings. If you have a few more lemons, make lemon curd or lemon bars. Still have lemons?! Use them in chicken dishes, toss them with pasta (like the recipe below), make lemon sorbet or ice cream, or bake a lemon cake. And don't forget to use the zest, too!
How do you like to use Meyer lemons?
A Few Favorite Meyer Lemon Recipes:
• Spaghetti with Mascarpone, Meyer Lemon, Spinach, and Hazelnuts
• Meyer Lemon Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds and Goat Cheese
• Meyer Lemon Cherry Chutney
• Meyer Lemon Whiskey Sour
• Meyer Lemon Shaker Pie
Related: Indoor Meyer Lemon Trees for Winter
(Image: Anna Hoychuk/Shutterstock)
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Emma, I've tried to be open minded about Meyer lemons - tried them a number of times. Seems I always feel - "OK, but this would probably be better with standard lemons..." Perhaps some of the comments to this will illuminate where the 'Meyer-ness' really shines.
We are lucky to have a meyer lemon tree/bush in our backyard so we use them in so many things this time of year. Marinades, vinaigrettes, baked with chicken, zested on pasta...you name it. I also bring one to work every day and use the wedges in my cold and hot water. Love them.
I like using Meyer lemons in raw food recipes, where the flavor will really shine. They're also great for using in salad dressings or other sauces.
Timely post! I just bought a bag of these a couple days ago after my mom went on and on about them over the holidays. I used one in my Quinoa Salad yesterday, and decided to take a taste of the leftover bits. Its such an unusual thing to bite into a lemon and not have your face try and turn itself inside out! I think a combination of these and regular lemons would make some pretty bad ass lemonade!
Ah, this is a very timely post! I just came back from vacation in California and my friend's mother sent me home with a whole grocery bag of these! I've been picking my brain trying to decide what to do with them now that I'm back in the chilly mid-Atlantic!
I make lemon curd and lemon vanilla marmalade every year. :)
It's great for making lemon, ginger, and honey tea too!
These are delicious eaten whole! We eat them like oranges, but with a little salt. Trader Joe's keeps them in stock during the growing season, $2 for five.
Kind of off topic, but we had a little ornamental lemon tree in our house. Then it started to produce lemons and we discovered that it was actually a Meyer's lemon- somehow we had missed the printed label on the side of the pot. Apparently they are fairly easy to grow indoors. It was a tiny little plant -not a tree - in an 8 inch pot and we got 2 or 3 lemons a year from it for several years. It died - probably exhausted by all that fruit bearing.
But I always consider Meyer's lemons to be slightly miraculous. I make Shaker Lemon Pie with them when I can get them now.
I've been on the lookout for meyer lemons. I have a recipe that I've been wanting to try that includes them but have not been able to locate any.
I just made a lemon tart using a whole Meyer lemon!
http://the-cooking-of-joy.blogspot.com/2013/01/lazy-marys-lemon-tart.html
I adore Meyer lemons! I just made scones with the first harvest from my tree:
http://tutti-dolci.com/2012/12/meyer-lemon-scones/
I love mixing it with lavender in a healthier lower fat lavender meyer lemon ice cream . Serve with some berries and you can feel good about dessert!
They make a fantastic lemon meringue pie.
I've never been able to taste a difference in anything I've eaten with a Meyer lemon. Maybe the ones I've gotten have just been less magical than the rest of their exalted kin.
I just used meyer lemons for the first time yesterday! Made some lemon cupcakes with lemon buttercream and it's so light and refreshing, and they taste way better than ordinary lemons! (at least when you're using them in desserts)
http://whoneedsadiet.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/lemon-cupcakes-with-lemon-buttercream-frosting/
To really taste a Meyer lemon, you need to pick ones that have very very deeply colored skin. If you look at one and wonder, "is that yellow or orange" you pick that lemon. The good ones really do look like the picture in the post. I've seen weakly colored Meyers here in Berkeley, mostly out of season and from another country, and they're never very good. You can lightly scratch the skin and smell the piney scent, that's a good Meyer.
I make lemon curd with a 1:1 ratio of Meyer lemon juice to regular lemon juice. I tried making lemon curd with just Meyer lemons, but it wasn't tangy enough. Meyer lemons have that sweet piney scent that is great in lemon curd, but you still want the bracing acidity of regular lemons in the mix.
This is the recipe I use - no butter!
http://sunitabhuyan.com/?p=2538
Meyer lemon risotto is a family fave, and tarts. We have a pretty serious tart addiction.
I made a boat load of Meyer Lemon Curd with these from the Food In Jars cookbook. I have several friends who have already devoured the jars I've given them and have asked for more. I also made some lemon salt which goes extraordinarily with fish in salads. Although it's the first time I've tried Meyers, they will definitely be on my must buy list when they come in season every year.