Jane Grows Garden Rooms

Seven ways to use Lemon Myrtle in the kitchen

One of the best things about Lemon Myrtle is that it is so versatile and easy to use in the kitchen. A small plant yields a harvest as soon as it is big enough to prune and you can harvest any time of year. There’s no waiting for fruit or digging up roots. Delicious lemony delight is there for the picking all year!

There are many ways to use Lemon Myrtle in the kitchen that require very little effort. For example, the leaves can be used instead of bay leaves to complement savoury tastes and impart a subtle freshness.

1. Substitute for Bay Leaves – simply use fresh leaves as a straight substitute. I can confirm that it is lovely in Spaghetti Bolognese.
2. Substitute for lemon or lime wedges – when we discovered this I was thrilled! All year I could just pluck a leaf, bruise it and pop it into any drink that benefits from a lime or lemon wedge.
3. Lemon Myrtle Infused Olive Oil – the best! This oil can be used in so many ways. Choose your favourite olive oil and add a lemony zing to fish and chicken dishes or drizzle over a salad. Click here for the instructions: Blog Post, Short YouTube Video, Detailed YouTube Video
4. Lemon Myrtle Roast Chicken – A family favourite! Delicious in an air fryer but works in the oven too. You’ll need the dried powder as well as fresh leaves. Click here for the recipe: Blog Post, YouTube Video
5. Baking whole fish – next time you get a beautiful fresh fish that you would usually bake with lemon slices, try Lemon Myrtle instead! It has less of a tendency to over-bake and subtly imparts just the right amount of lemony zing to your seafood dinner. We love it with Coral Trout!
6. Lemon Myrtle Chicken Nuggets – my children just love these. The subtle lemon flavour brings a freshness to the nuggets. Be careful – once you start eating these, it’s hard to stop! Click here for the recipe: Blog Post, YouTube Video
7. Lemon Myrtle stuffed pumpkin flowers – This recipe is a beautiful combination of flavours. There’s just enough sweetness from the Pumpkin Flowers, freshness from the lemon myrtle and savoury delight from the Basil. Click here for the recipe: Blog Post, YouTube Video

Lemon Myrtle is so easy to use and so delicious that when we moved house I found myself a bit lost without my established tree. I now have two new trees going and I can’t wait to harvest!

How do you use Lemon Myrtle in the kitchen?

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