Sudachi

Citrus sudachi · Citrus

40 pairings

Sudachi (Citrus sudachi) is a small, round, green Japanese citrus picked while still unripe and prized almost entirely for its sharp, fragrant juice and aromatic zest rather than its sparse flesh. A speciality of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku, it is squeezed over grilled fish, soba and somen noodles, matsutake mushrooms and sashimi, and stirred into ponzu, dressings and drinks, where it brings a cleaner, more herbal tartness than lemon — green, almost piney, with a cooling floral lift.

Picking a good onedrag

Deep green, oil-tightYellowed, light, scent gone

Shop greenThe all-rounder: halve and squeeze, or grate the peel over the plate.Everyday best

RindGreen, a faint yellow cast at the blossom end

Weight in handStill heavy, the rind only just beginning to move

Stem endCalyx paling, the ring around it still dry

Scratched peelScent comes up when a thumb is rubbed across it

What to look for, from deep green, oil-tight to yellowed, light, scent gone.

What one gives you

35 g

Typical weight

one specimen

25%

Juice yield

250 ml a kilo · about 9 ml a fruit

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 5× longer than the counter.

Humidity

90–95%

Bagged, never bare: a 35 g fruit with a rind that thin shrivels in dry air. Wipe the skin dry first, because a wet fruit in a shut bag rots at the stem.

Airflow

Shut bag, dry fruit

Japanese practice is a shut poly bag, two or three fruit to a bag, so one that goes over does not take the rest of them with it.

Ethylene takes the green out

It makes almost none itself, but its green is ethylene's to take: blocking the gas delays the yellowing, so apples and bananas alongside will strip it.

Preparing