It’s not an orange and not quite a lemon. This citrus fruit is fragrant, sour and not meant to be eaten as is. It’s about the size of a tangerine with a flavor that tastes like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. You guessed it — yuzu. Common in Korea and Japan, yuzu is a popular ingredient in cooking and a natural remedy for fighting off colds and increasing circulation. Yuzu zest and juice are used in many drinks, salad dressings and marinades.

Bottled yuzu juice is available in Japanese markets such as Marukai.

Seared Salmon & Soba With Ginger Yuzu Sauce

• 4 pieces salmon
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (8-ounce) package soba noodles
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced on diagonal
• Black sesame seeds, for garnish
• >> Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and finely minced
• 1-inch piece unpeeled ginger, finely minced
• 1/4 cup shoyu
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon yuzu juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Rinse salmon and dry thoroughly. Place on sheet pan and season with salt and pepper; set aside.

To make sauce: In a large saucepan over medium, heat grapeseed oil. Saute garlic and ginger until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium-low until slightly reduced, 7-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

To prepare salmon: Heat grapeseed oil in large skillet over medium-high. When oil is hot but not smoking, add salmon to skillet skin side up. Sear on each side until crisp, 4-5 minutes on each side. Flip salmon only once.

To assemble: Serve salmon skin side up over soba noodles. Spoon sauce over salmon and noodles. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 850 calories, 44 g total fat, 8 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,400 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 6 g sugar, 59 g protein.

Yuzu Cheesecake

• 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup yuzu juice
• 1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place rack in middle position.

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, mascarpone and sour cream. Stir in eggs, sugar and yuzu juice. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust. It should reach the top. Bake 60 minutes.

Let pie cool 30 minutes to an hour. Refrigerate at least 8 hours (the middle portion will have risen a bit, but will flatten after being refrigerated). Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional information, per slice: 440 calories, 32 g total fat, 17 g saturated fat, 140 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 21 g sugar, 8 g protein.

Yuzu Kosho

• Spicy citrus seasoning paste
• 1 cup finely grated lime zest (about 16 limes)
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons finely grated grapefruit zest (preferably white)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice (preferably white)
• 2 tablespoons bottled yuzu juice
• 1 green Thai chili, seeded, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• Pinch sugar

Combine zests and salt on a cutting board. Chop, dragging the knife blade at an angle across mixture, until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a small bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Transfer to a small jar, cover; chill at least 2 day or up to 2 weeks. Use as a condiment for nabemono (Japanese hot pot), miso soup and sashimi. Makes 1/2 cup.

Approximate nutritional information, per teaspoon: 5 calories, 250 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, no fat, cholesterol, sugar or protein.

More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at hawaiianelectric.com.