Shikuwasa

Citrus depressa · Citrus

40 pairings

Shikuwasa (Citrus depressa), the Okinawan flat lemon or hirami lemon, is a small, round, deep-green citrus native to the Ryūkyū Islands and Taiwan, prized for its intensely sour, fragrant juice. Picked green and unripe, it is squeezed over grilled fish and Okinawan pork dishes, stirred into ponzu, dressings and awamori highballs, and bottled by the case as a cordial and health drink. Its tartness is sharper and more bracing than yuzu's, with a green, slightly bitter, almost lime-like bite lifted by a warm mandarin sweetness underneath — culinarily distinct from both yuzu and sudachi.

Picking a good onedrag

Deep green, just pickedYellowed, drying, going off

Shop greenStill green and heavy — halve and squeeze it over fish, pork or into a highballBuy it

RindGreen and dulling, a yellow blush

SqueezeFirm, rind tight to the flesh

ButtonButton green, edges drying

SmellFragrant green citrus, warm mandarin under it

What to look for, from deep green, just picked to yellowed, drying, going off.

What one gives you

30 g

Typical weight

one specimen

Keeping ittap a band

Below about 5 C the thin green rind pits and browns; the main fridge shelf runs colder than it likes, so keep it in the vegetable drawer.

Humidity

90–95%

A tiny fruit with a thin rind dries fast: loosely bagged, or wrapped a few at a time in paper, it stays heavy; bare in the fridge it shrivels within days.

Airflow

Loosely bagged, not sealed

At room temperature spread them in a basket rather than stacked; in the fridge fold the bag over instead of sealing it, or the stem scar moulds.

Ethylene bleeds the green out

Citrus makes almost no ethylene but reacts to it — degreening rooms use a few ppm to turn green rind yellow. Beside apples or bananas it yellows early and drops its button.

Preparing