What Can I Substitute for Yuzu Juice?

You're mixing ponzu or a soy-based dipping sauce for gyoza, shabu-shabu or seared tataki.

• lemon and mandarin juice blend — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)
• lemon juice — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)

The soy, mirin and dashi need yuzu's sourness to balance them, and the lemon-mandarin blend adds back some of the floral top note, while plain lemon balances the sauce correctly but tastes like a lemon ponzu.

You're dressing sashimi, kingfish crudo or a seafood salad and want a bright, perfumed acid that cuts the oiliness.

• lemon and mandarin juice blend — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)
• Meyer lemon juice — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)

Both supply the acidity that cuts fatty fish and, with the zest from their tweaks, enough floral aroma that the dressing still smells delicate rather than plainly lemony.

You're making a curd, tart, posset or cheesecake where yuzu juice supplies the sourness and the fragrance.

• Meyer lemon juice — 60 ml for every 60 ml yuzu juice (3 tbsp)AU tbsp = 20ml
• lemon and mandarin juice blend — 60 ml for every 60 ml yuzu juice (3 tbsp)AU tbsp = 20ml

Matching the acid level keeps curds and possets setting as written, and the zest in each tweak gives the creamy base a floral scent closer to yuzu than plain lemon would.

You're shaking a cocktail, mocktail or highball that lists a splash of yuzu juice.

• Meyer lemon juice — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)
• calamansi juice — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)
• lime juice — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)

Each gives the sour balance a drink needs against sugar and spirit, with Meyer lemon the most floral, calamansi the most orange-scented and lime turning the drink sharper and greener.

You're adding a squeeze to mayonnaise, beurre blanc or a butter sauce to stop it tasting heavy.

• lemon juice — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)
• lemon and mandarin juice blend — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)

Here the job is mostly cutting richness, which plain lemon does just as well, so the aroma loss matters less and the blend is only worth mixing if you want the floral note.

You're making yuzu sorbet, yuzu curd or a dish sold on the name where yuzu is the flavour people expect.

• lemon and mandarin juice blend — 15 ml for every 15 ml yuzu juice (3 tsp)

Nothing really replaces it here.

Yuzu's grapefruit-pine-mandarin aroma is not reproduced by any common citrus, so the blend makes a pleasant citrus dessert but it will not taste of yuzu to anyone who knows it.

The dressing or ponzu tastes harshly sour.

Why: The recipe used a 15 ml tablespoon but the juice was measured with a 20 ml Australian tablespoon, or lemon juice was used without the softer mandarin portion.

Fix: Stir in a little more of the other ingredients, such as soy, mirin, dashi or oil, or add a pinch of sugar, then measure juice in ml next time.

The sauce or curd has a bitter aftertaste.

Why: White pith was grated with the zest, or calamansi or lime juice brought its own bitter finish.

Fix: Add a little sugar, honey or mirin to soften it, and next time grate only the coloured outer layer of the peel.

The curd or posset tastes plainly of lemon with none of the expected perfume.

Why: The juice was swapped without the zest, and most citrus aroma sits in the peel oils rather than the juice.

Fix: Stir finely grated mandarin or Meyer lemon zest into the warm curd off the heat, then strain if you want it smooth.

The dressing tastes sweet, flat and noticeably orange.

Why: Orange juice was used in place of yuzu juice, and it has far less acid and much more sugar.

Fix: Add lemon juice a teaspoon at a time until the sourness comes back, tasting as you go.

Is yuzu juice the same as yuzu ponzu?

No, yuzu ponzu is a finished sauce, while yuzu juice is just the citrus. Ponzu usually combines citrus juice with soy sauce, mirin and dashi, so it is salty and savoury. You can use yuzu ponzu as a ready-made dipping sauce, but it will not work in desserts or drinks that call for the juice.

Can I use yuzu kosho instead of yuzu juice?

No, yuzu kosho is a salty chilli paste made with yuzu peel, and it contains almost no juice. It adds heat, salt and peel aroma but very little sourness. A small amount can season a dish alongside lemon juice, but it cannot replace the juice.

Can I leave yuzu juice out of a recipe?

Only if something else in the recipe supplies the acid, because yuzu juice is usually there to sour and balance the dish. In ponzu, dressings and curds, leaving it out makes the result flat, heavy or too salty. Use lemon juice or the lemon and mandarin blend instead.

How much yuzu juice is in a tablespoon in an Australian recipe versus a Japanese or US one?

An Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml, but Japanese, US, UK, NZ and Canadian tablespoons hold 15 ml. Using an Australian spoon for an overseas recipe adds a third more juice, which can make a ponzu or dressing harshly sour. Measure in millilitres, or use a 15 ml spoon, when the recipe comes from overseas.

Does bottled yuzu juice need to go in the fridge after opening?

Yes, keep an opened bottle in the fridge and follow the storage directions on the label. The aroma fades faster than the sourness once the bottle is open, so an old bottle may still be sour but taste more like lemon. Buy small bottles if you only use a little at a time.