The Yuzu Kosho Cookbook: 50 Recipes for Japan's Citrus Chili Paste: Bold Marinades, Dipping Sauces, Noodles, and Weeknight Dinners from One Jar

Yuzu kosho is a fermented paste of yuzu citrus, chilies, and salt, and a half teaspoon does what a whole list of ingredients usually has to. It brings heat, but the heat arrives behind a bright, floral citrus that nothing else in the pantry can imitate. Stir it into butter and you have a sauce. Whisk it into mayonnaise and you have a dip people ask about. Rub it on a chicken thigh before it hits the pan and the whole dish tastes considered.

If you have a jar in the fridge and you have been using it on exactly one thing, The Yuzu Kosho Cookbook is the fix.

Start with the basics

The book opens with a short, plain-language guide: what yuzu kosho actually is, how green differs from red, which brands are worth buying, how to store an open jar, and the one rule that matters most. Use it sparingly. Yuzu kosho is salt-forward and potent, so every recipe here is calibrated for the real thing rather than treating it as a generic chili sauce. There is also a substitution note for the weeks you run out, and a simple homemade version for cooks who want to make their own.

What you will cook

Seafood: Yuzu Kosho Cod, Teriyaki Salmon Bowls, Tuna Poke, Scallop Crudo, Seared Scallops, Shrimp Skewers, Crab Cakes, Tempura Shrimp, Fish Tacos, Shrimp Pasta, Tuna Melt

Meat and poultry: Chicken Wings, Chicken Thighs, Beef Tataki, Steak Bites, Grilled Lamb Chops, Grilled Pork Belly, Pork Chops, Turkey Meatballs, Sesame Chicken Lettuce Cups

Noodles, rice, and soups: Yuzu Kosho Ramen, Udon, Butter Noodles, Soba Salad, Garlic Fried Rice, Mushroom Rice, Miso Soup, Chicken Soup, Coconut Curry

Vegetables and sides: Grilled Corn, Butter Smashed Potatoes, Potato Salad, Cabbage Slaw, Cucumber Salad, Honey Carrots, Edamame, Miso Glazed Eggplant, Grilled Portobellos, Tofu Steak, Cold Tofu, Deviled Eggs, Avocado Toast

Sauces and staples to keep on hand: Yuzu Kosho Mayo, Vinaigrette, Caesar Dressing, Gyoza Sauce, Shabu-Shabu Sauce, Steak Sauce

Built for the way you actually cook

Mostly 30 minutes or less. These are weeknight dishes, not weekend projects.

Short ingredient lists. The condiment is doing the heavy lifting, so the shopping is light.

Heat levels marked on every recipe, with clear guidance on scaling up or dialing back.

Six sauces and dressings that turn into a dozen more meals once you have them in the fridge.

Japanese technique, Western groceries. Crudo, tataki, and shabu-shabu sauce alongside deviled eggs, fish tacos, and a tuna melt.

Plenty for plant-based cooks, with a full chapter of vegetable, tofu, and mushroom dishes.

Who this is for

Cooks who collect condiments and want to actually use them. Japanese food enthusiasts ready to move past soy sauce and sriracha. Seafood lovers, grillers, and anyone whose weeknight rotation has gone quiet. It is also an easy gift for the person in your life who is hard to shop for and impossible to feed a boring dinner.

Your jar is losing potency in the back of the fridge.

Open it tonight. Start with the chicken wings.

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