Zesting a citrus fruit is pretty straightforward with the fruit intact, but sometimes it happens to me that I absent-mindedly halve and squeeze the fruit and then remember that I wanted to zest it before.
What is the best way to do zest a citrus fruit that has already been halved and squeezed?
I am using a classical zester and aspire stripes of zest.
What I considered so far:
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I tried to halve the skin again, so I can flatten each quarter on a cutting board to hold the skin in place while zesting it. This has two drawbacks:
- Zesting close to a cut edge is more difficult or less efficient and by cutting the skin yet again I increase this.
- I inevitably squeeze out more juice, which then mixes with the zests. While this is no big issue taste-wise, the zests clump together and are more difficult to scatter.
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I considered but have not tried yet to put the skin on the reamer I used to squeezing, but then I expect that I lack a third hand needed for this.
Best Answer
Put it pulp side down on a cutting board or plate, stick a fork in it to pin it down and hold it still while you zest in a semicircle. You can pause and spin it, spiraling in towards the center to get the longest bits of zest.