Bright, Flavorful Citrus Salt Is Only 3 Easy Steps Away

Whether you use a sauce, an herb, or a homemade spice blend, there are endless ways to make a dish more flavorful. One of our favorite ways to elevate flavor and add complexity to a dish is with citrus. Citrus fruits — like lemon, lime, and oranges — add a ton of brightness to food that may otherwise be pretty dull. Some might even say citrus is as crucial as salt to a well-balanced dish — but who says you have to choose between the two? Making a citrus salt, or a salt that's been infused with citrus, couldn't be easier, requiring just two ingredients and a bit of oven time. Once you make a batch, you'll have a custom seasoning to dress up all your favorite recipes and make them uniquely your own.

To make citrus salt, you'll begin by zesting the citrus of your choice. Use a microplane, like this one by NSpring available on Amazon, to get all that good stuff from the top layer. Move it around the fruit every time you reach a white spot to ensure you get only the good stuff and not the bitter pith. Zest a tablespoon of citrus and place it in a bowl. Then, mix it with a half-cup of your favorite kosher salt or flakey salt. You can use your fingers to do this; you want to make sure that there aren't any big clumps of citrus. This movement will also help the citrus release  its flavor.

Once both ingredients have been combined, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and then spread the salt out onto it. You can make multiple flavors at once, just spread each flavor next to each other, taking care not to accidentally combine them — though that might be a happy accident in the end. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. The citrus should be completely dried out but not burnt. Let it cool to room temperature, and then store it in a jar for up to three months, though we know this citrusy salt staple won't last very long in your pantry. 

There are a myriad of ways you can use your homemade citrus salt. If you make a lime salt, try sprinkling it over our spicy chicken fajitas. The sharpness of the lime adds a nice sour kick. If lemon is more your thing, sprinkle it over chicken or use it as a salted rim on a lemon drop martini. Orange citrus salt might not seem as intuitive in terms of how to pair it with other flavors, but it actually goes great with desserts, especially if you're an orange and chocolate kind of person. Substitute regular salt for orange salt in your chocolate chip cookies, and then sprinkle a bit over top for a subtle and lovely combination. Once you realize how easy it is to make, citrus salt is bound to become a staple in your house.