Fry Up Lemon Slices To Add A Savory And Sour Bite To Your Dishes

There's hardly a dish that can't be elevated with a bit of lemon; whether it's a sprinkle of the zest or a juicy squeeze from the fruit, the citrus brings a bright, energetic flavor that rids food of monotony. But if you really want to kick your food up a notch, fry up your lemon slices first.

When you first bite into a lemon, the acidity is fully present, quickly evolving into a floral-like sweetness. The tartness is strong enough for lemons to be primarily used for making lemon cheesecake bars or some other citrussy dish. When fried, however, the tartness of lemon slices mellows out, allowing them to be eaten as a snack. Shallow-frying lemons turn the flesh crisp and caramelized, while the skin takes on a delicate, chewy texture. The sharpness also dissipates, turning into a beautifully tart and savory lemon slice. You can snack on them like chips, especially when they're sprinkled with flaky sea salt, pepper, and crushed thyme.

To fry your lemon slices, clean the skin before removing the ends and cutting up the lemon into thin slices. Remove the seeds before blanching them for about a minute or two. After they've cooled down in the ice water, pat them dry and fry them in olive oil. Let them cook for around three minutes, flipping the slices once so each side can brown around the edges. Serve them once they're cooled or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

With the seeds removed and the taste and texture becoming much more palatable, there are no bounds to what fried lemon slices can be included in. Pasta is certainly a no-brainer, as the fried citrus can easily punch up the flavor. Cut up the lemon slices into bite-sized pieces and fold them into the pasta right before plating. They complement any type of pasta, especially quick and easy brown butter shrimp pasta or even a pasta salad.

If incorporating the fried lemon slices into a pasta salad, allow them to cool before adding them to the dish. The cut-up slices can work as a tart, crunchy topping or stirred into creamy dressing for the recipe. The lemons bring a slightly sweet, zesty flavor to tortellini Greek salad or spinach and balsamic cream pasta.

One or two lemon slices also make an excellent ingredient for burgers and sandwiches. Like a tomato or white onion, a single slice brings a sweet pungent taste that uplifts the sandwich without completely overwhelming it. Add a herb-covered fried lemon slice to your next blue-cheese stuffed burger with fig and pear or roasted Caprese salad.