Substituting meyer lemons for sour oranges
Many Cuban recipes use the juice of sour oranges as an ingredient, such as mojo sauce. Unfortunately, sour oranges are hard to find in the Western USA.
The standard substitutions offered include, depending on the cookbook:
- a 1:1 ratio of sweet orange and lemon juice
- a 1:2 ratio of sweet orange and lemon juice
- a 2:1 ratio of sweet orange and lime juice
- various combinations of orange juice and vinegar
It occured to me today that Meyer lemons are a cross between mandarin oranges and lemons, and as such might have a flavor close to sour oranges. Questions:
- Are Meyer lemons actually close in flavor to sour oranges?
- What substitution ratio should I use for meyer lemon juice (plus possibly sweet orange and/or lime juice) to sour orange juice?
Looking for answers with documentation and/or direct experience here, please, rather than guesses. Thanks!
Best Answer
Interesting idea. I use Meyer lemons regularly, but wouldn't have thought to substitute them directly for sour oranges. My usual substitution would be more your 2:1 ratio of sweet orange and lime juice (certainly not vinegar, eeeck!). Unless your Meyer lemons are exceptionally sweet, I'd add a bit of sweet orange juice to them.
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What can you substitute for sour oranges?
\u201cTo my taste, the best substitute for bitter orange is equal parts grapefruit, orange and lime juice and white distilled vinegar. There are other cooks who use equal parts orange and lime juice and are happy with the results.Can you substitute lemon for orange?
Orange juice is a good one-to-one substitute for lemon juice in most recipes. It's less acidic, sweeter, and less tart than lemon juice. Plus, it has a different flavor profile. In recipes in which a large amount of lemon juice is needed, substituting for it with orange juice may significantly impact the flavor ( 4 ).Do Meyer lemons taste like oranges?
Meyer lemons are a small, sweet hybrid lemon. They're thought to be a cross between a regular lemon (Eureka and Lisbon variety) and a mandarin orange. They have a smooth, thin rind with a deep yellow hue. Their pulp is pale orange, with a sweet, floral taste.Is a lemon just a sour orange?
The sourest of the citrus houses, lemons are genetically a mix of citron and bitter orange.How to Use Meyer Lemons
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Answer 2
I have used Meyer lemons in cooking and found that they just don’t have sufficient flavor to justify using Meyers. The end product came out neither sweet nor lemony. There was a lack of flavor.
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