To make lemon pepper, dry the zest of four lemons in a low oven until brittle, about an hour, then grind it briefly with two tablespoons of coarse-cracked black pepper and a tablespoon of salt. Equal parts zest and pepper is the whole formula.
What is lemon pepper?
Real lemon pepper is a citrus product first and a pepper product second, which is exactly backwards from the shaker-aisle version, where citric acid powder and salt do the talking. Dried zest carries the lemon's oils, so it tastes like fruit instead of acid, and it clings to hot food the way powder never does.
The blend earned its fame on wings and grilled chicken, but its real range is wider: fish going under the broiler, roasted asparagus and broccoli, popcorn, avocado toast, a finished pasta. Anywhere you would squeeze a lemon and grind pepper anyway, the blend does both in one pass.
What goes in lemon pepper?
- ·4 large lemons, zested (about 1/4 cup fresh zest, drying to 2 tbsp)
- ·2 tbsp coarse-cracked black pepper
- ·1 tbsp coarse salt (skip for a salt-free blend)
Equal parts dried zest and cracked pepper by volume, with salt at half. Zest loses about half its volume drying, so start with double. Crack the pepper coarse rather than grinding it fine, the blend should have texture.
How do you make lemon pepper?
- Zest the lemons with a fine grater, taking only the yellow. The white pith dries bitter.
- Spread the zest on a parchment-lined tray and dry at 200 F for 50 to 70 minutes, until it crumbles between your fingers.
- Cool completely. It crisps further as it cools.
- Pulse the dried zest, cracked pepper, and salt two or three times in a spice grinder, or crush together in a mortar. Stop while it is still coarse.
- Store in a sealed jar away from light. Peak flavor for a month, good for three.
What should you know before making lemon pepper?
- Zest first, juice after. Four naked lemons want to become lemonade, vinaigrette, or a curd.
- For wings, mix a tablespoon of the blend into two tablespoons of melted butter and toss after frying, that is the wing-shop move.
- No oven patience? A dehydrator at 125 F overnight, or 48 hours spread on the counter, both work.
Where did lemon pepper come from?
Lemon pepper is an American blend, a mid-century seasoning-aisle invention that Atlanta's wing culture later made famous. The homemade version predates the jar: cooks have dried citrus peel over stoves for as long as there have been stoves.
What can you make from lemon pepper?
Common questions.
Can I use bottled lemon juice or citric acid?
Not for this. The blend depends on zest oils, and juice is water plus acid. If all you have is citric acid, you are rebuilding the commercial product this recipe exists to escape.
How long does homemade lemon pepper last?
Sealed and dark, a month at full strength and three months in usable shape. Past that it fades rather than spoils, toast it briefly in a dry pan to wake it back up.
What do I put lemon pepper on?
Wings and chicken first, then broiled fish, shrimp, asparagus, broccoli, potatoes, popcorn, and eggs. If a lemon wedge and a pepper grinder would help the plate, the blend will too.