No-Salt Lemon Pepper Source?

[Kummok]

Working on a rub for salmon and looking for a source to buy lemon pepper with no salt added. Have run out of places to look up here and found none. I know it exists and don't feel like making it myself....any leads on a supplier?

[Habanero Smoker]

Kummock;

I find it very hard to find lemon pepper, every retail store and spice shop wants to sell the seasoning. It's strange that you should ask at this time, I was just preparing to put this recipe up on the recipe site. It's not the difficult or much involved in making a batches. Here is my recipe, I've been using with smoked cracked peppercorns lately, and regular peppercorns can be used.

Smoked Lemon Pepper
If you have problems finding Lemon Pepper (not lemon pepper seasoning) in your local stores here is a recipe for lemon pepper.

2 Tbsp Peppercorns cracked and smoked (see above recipe), or regular cracked peppercorns
3 Tbsp chopped fresh lemon zest (about two large lemons)

Use a zester, paring knife or small grater and carefully zest the lemon, avoiding any of the white pith. If the zest is too large roughly chop the zest, but don't mince it. The zest should be approximately the size of the cracked peppercorns.

Mix lemon zest and peppercorn together in a small bowl, and mix well. The ratio of lemon zest to pepper should be about 1.5 to 1; but exact measurements are not necessary. Spread mixture on a small cookie sheet or on heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in a 225°F preheat oven and allow to dry until lemon zest is completely dry.

Remove from oven, and allow to cool. You can either grind it all now, or grind it as you need it. Store in an air tight container, and stor in a dark area.

The most difficult part of the recipe is to crack the peppercorns. The easiest way is to place the peppercorns in a rimmed pan and use a heavy object such as a cast iron skill to press down on them. Make sure the pan you use is one that you don't mind putting dents into it. You need to work in small batches. The goal is to crack the corns not to pulverize them. You can save some time by purchasing cracked peppercorns (Spice Etc is a good source for cracked peppercorns). Several of the online spice companies sell it that way.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I don't think I've ever seen a commercial lemon pepper seasoning that was free of salt.  I like Hab's idea of making your own with fresh lemon zest if you want a blend.  The drying step is essential if you want to keep and store it.  To crack pepper corns I put them in a stainless saute pan and then use the bottom of a smaller sauce pan to crush.

As an alternative to making your own lemon peel The Spice House has great dehydrated lemon peel.  They also have Meyer Lemon Peel and Orange Peel, fairly affordable, see the Citrus Zest & Blends page    (they also have the best peppercorns I have found for the price).  They do have a sizable collection of Salt-Free Blends, you might check out the Florida Seasoned Pepper.  If you had something particular in mind, give them a call - they would probably be willing to mix about anything you want for the price of the ingredients.

[Kummok]

ThanX for the recipes Habs.....gonna give that a go this winter when things slow down a bit. Meanwhile I've ordered lemon zest and the 'Peppercorns Royale' from Spice House ...ThanX BLSH!! Once again, the Forum friends come through!!  :)

[Habanero Smoker]

It seems I'm too late on my response. I couldn't log on last evening. Mixing dehydrated lemon zest with then cracked peppercorns will work, but a better to go is using fresh lemon zest and dehydrate in the oven with the peppercorns. That way you control the size of the lemon zest, and the essential oils from both the peppercorns and lemon zest intermingle.

I took a look at the dehydrated lemon zest that BLSH linked. It looks like it is minced so you may want to start off with a 1:1 ratio or less, and adjust the lemon zest from there.

[Kummok]

ThanX Habs...good observation/suggestion!  I was planning to go a little heavier on the pepper to start (LOVE that pepper!)....experimenting is the FUN part, ain't it?!?!

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Saw something this morning that brought this thread back to mind ... NePaS post showing the goodies from Fiesta his daughter picked up for him  motivated me to go look at the Bolner's Fiesta site to see ALL the stuff they make.  Under the Products I noticed a Salt Free section, checked it out and dead center at the top is Salt Free Lemon Pepper.

Here's a link to the Salt Free section, hover over the products "tab" to see and select the other products.

http://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=saltfree

[Kummok]

ThanX for the follow-up, BLSH! Already found and ordered some other good stuff from your last suggestion.....the Spice House. Some really tempting spices/mixes on this Fiesta site too....and considerably less expensive. Something tells me that Homer, Alaska is gonna get a little heavier, spice-wise, shortly!! ThanX again!

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Even though they are TX originals, I don't use much of the Fiesta brand products, mostly their dried chiles. I don't have much experience with them, but they are widely available down here The Spice House on the other hand is one of my favorites for things I buy and keep in our pantry.

[iceman]

Saw something this morning that brought this thread back to mind ... NePaS post showing the goodies from Fiesta his daughter picked up for him  motivated me to go look at the Bolner's Fiesta site to see ALL the stuff they make.  Under the Products I noticed a Salt Free section, checked it out and dead center at the top is Salt Free Lemon Pepper.

Here's a link to the Salt Free section, hover over the products "tab" to see and select the other products.

http://www.fiestaspices.com/index.asp?page=saltfree

Good link BLSH. Thanks for the info on the salt free items.

[kaskiles]

Hmm, I'd been using the Mrs. Dash stuff (seasonings and marinades):
http://www.mrsdash.com/products/seasoning-lemon-pepper.aspx

But these Fiesta mixes look really interesting...