How to Eat Calamondin
Calamondin is a citrus fruit with sour and tangy juice that tastes a lot like lemon, with more tangerine sweetness. They’re eaten most often in their half ripe stage, where the skin is still yellow and the flavor is much more bold and sour. As it ripens and turns orange, calamondin flavor matures into a mellow, subtle citrus juice. At this stage, it’s usually used in recipes where sugar is added to boost sweetness.
Calamondin are citrus fruits, meaning they’re loaded with delicate, pulpy sacs containing flavorful liquid. These fruits explode with tangy, orangey lemon flavored juice that matches the mood of their cheerful yellow and orange color.
These tiny fruits can be eaten whole as a solo snack, but they bring so much flavor to all kinds of food parties. Calamondin juice is excellent when paired with fish, poultry and even pork. It brings flavorful acidity to recipes for drinks as well as candies, desserts and sauces. Just about anywhere you like to use lemons or limes, calamondin is welcome!
How to prepare your lemon will depend on the recipe you’re using. Here are the most common ways to prepare lemon for just about any recipe.
Slicing calamondin is very simple. Learn how to make tiny halves and wedges for squeezing, and delicate rings to float atop refreshing cocktails.
- Slice a whole calamondin lengthwise into thin or thick rounds. Add these to your water, top off chicken and fish filets before broiling, or caramelize them with kale.
- Cut the dainty calamondin into teensy wedges with the edible peel intact for an impressive presentation.
- Turn the calamondin onto its side and slice into thin rounds.
The petit calamondin is a citrus experience all its own. Their tart, sour, acidic juice tastes a lot like an orangey lemon, so a simple squeeze of a calamondin slice can brighten up anything from chips to sauces, seafood dishes and citrusy salads. In its native Philippines, it’s prized for its juice to marinate fish and other meats. It’s also well suited for jams, candies, salads, frozen treats, and desserts. If you can imagine all the ways you use lemons and limes, there are just as many ways to use a calamondin!
- Raw: Like its cousin, the kumquat, calamondin can be eaten whole. These tiny citrus fruits are about the size of a large cherry, making them highly snackable! Use fresh calamondin in very similar ways as a lemon, lime or orange for sour, tart citrus flavor.
- Confection: The beloved calamondin is delicious in jams, jellies and candy making. The peels are often preserved in sugar as candy.
Calamondin is a citrus fruit with sour and tangy juice that tastes a lot like lemon with more tangerine sweetness. As such, it’s juice makes for some very delicious beverages! Unlike some other citrus fruits, the entire thing is edible, so the whole fruit can be used for beverages.
To make delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, use your calamondins to make a basic syrup, then add it to your drinks. Otherwise, squeeze them into just about any drink you can think of such as water, soda, tea, cocktails and juices.
Here are some easy ways use calamondin in your drinks:
- Juicing: Calamondin can be juiced in the same way as other citrus like lemons and limes by squeezing. To process them in an electric juicer, slice calamondin in half around the circumference and remove the seeds in the center of each citrus section. Then, feed the fruit halves, skin on, into your juicer. The tangy, orangey lemon juice is delicious with pineapple, mango, watermelon, ginger, coconut and cucumber.
- Water: Squeeze fresh calamondin into your water bottle along with fresh herbs like mint or basil for a tasty upgrade.
- Cocktails: Use fresh calamondin juice instead of lemon or lime for an entirely new take on citrusy libations.
Calamondin fruit doesn’t love being stored in warm temperatures for very long once they’re harvested. As they ripen, calamondin can be left on the countertop for about five days. For the best taste and longest freshness, store calamondin in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last up to a month this way.
Prepare to freeze calamondin by placing whole fruits on a cookie sheet with space between each. Once frozen, store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months.
If you’ve ever wondered where to buy the rare and elusive calamondin, we’ve got great news for you! FruitStand is proud to partner with small, specialty farmers to bring you exceptional quality calamondin. To be the first to know when FruitStand is shipping fresh calamondin harvests direct to your door, join our email newsletter!
Do you feel like a fruit expert now? Show us your favorite ways to prepare and eat calamondin by tagging us in your calamondin masterpieces on Instagram @Fruitstandcom!