Sprinkled over a whole roasted chicken, seafood and veggies like sauteed green beans or roasted zucchini, this lemon pepper seasoning recipe is a versatile, thrifty way to make use of leftover lemon peels.
The bright flavor of lemon melds perfectly with the deep, spicy notes of peppercorns, and it’s super easy to make. I don’t even bother with drying my lemon zest in the oven – I just let them dry on a towel overnight and then grind them up in a coffee grinder the next day.
More Ideas For Using Leftover Lemon Peels
- Lemon Rosemary Flavored Salt – This herbaceous finishing salt is delicious when sprinkled over pasta, soups, and salads.
- Homemade Lemon Extract – To use in lemon poppyseed muffins, raspberry lemon semifreddo, lemon mousse, or coconut-lemon macaroons.
You can also use it to make limoncello, candied lemon peel, furniture polish, cleaning vinegar, lemon pepper seasoning and more. You’ll find all those recipes here.
Lemon Pepper Seasoning Recipe
Equipment
- microplane zester
- coffee grinder
Ingredients
- 12 tbsp freshly zested lemon peel (After the peel dries you should have about 8 tablespoons)
- 4 tbsp whole peppercorns (I use a mix of green, black, red and white)
- 1 tbsp sea salt
Instructions
- Grate the lemon peel using a microplane zester. The zest needs to dry before you combine it with the other ingredients, and there are two easy ways to do that. My usual method is to simply place it on a towel and leave it to dry overnight. Another option is to spread it on a baking sheet and place it in the oven on low heat (around 170F) until dried - usually 30 minutes to an hour.
- When the lemon peel is dried, place it in a coffee grinder with the peppercorns and pulse until it reaches the level of fineness you prefer.
- Depending on the size of your coffee grinder, you may need to grind 1/2 of batch and then grind the second half - that's what I did. Next, place the mixture in a clean jar and stir in salt.
Nutrition
More Seasoning Recipes
Homemade Cajun Seasoning – Zesty, savory and so delicious, this seasoning is amazing as a dry rub for pan-seared meat, sprinkled on hot french fries, stirred into homemade ranch dressing, and in so many other dishes that might surprise you.
Lemon Pepper Seasoning – The bright flavor of lemon in this seasoning melds perfectly with the deep, spicy notes of peppercorns, and it’s super easy to make. All you need are lemons, peppercorns, and salt.
I don’t even bother with drying my lemon zest in the oven – I just let them dry on a towel overnight and then grind them up in a coffee grinder the next day. So good with chicken, seafood, and roasted veggies!