Boost the flavor of lemon pepper with the addition of a little lavender!

I love lemon pepper on fish and vegetables. It is one of those handy spice blends that is easy to make yourself, and you get to control what is in it, using your favorite peppercorns.

Use the peppercorns you love

I have used a blend of four different peppercorns here, but I’ve also made it with just black pepper, or 3:1 ration of black to pink.

The lavender is one of my favorite combinations with lemon, so that is why I came up with this blend. You can dry your own fresh lavender flowers along with the lemon and pepper if you like, or purchase food-grade lavender.

If you want just lemon pepper, you can stop short of adding the lavender.  If you don’t want to add any salt, that’s ok too!

Organic first and only

The most important thing to remember about the lemons themselves is that you want organic only. Conventionally grown citrus fruits hold onto the pesticides and fungicides from their production, especially in the peelings. So, look for organic lemons. You can often find them on the discount table if they’ve gotten soft, but the yellow peels are still fine to use in this.

Lemon & Lavender Pepper

Of course, you can make this your way by combining in any proportion you like!

1/3 cup tightly packed lemon zest, 5 or 6 organic lemons

1/3 cup mixed peppercorns

2 tbsp. food-grade lavender, dried

2 tbsp. Fleur de sel, optional

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees or its lowest setting.

Zest the lemons with a peeler or bar zester, avoiding any of the white pith. You need about 1/2 cup, packed

Grind the peppercorns coarsely and mix with the lemon zest.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper and spread out.

Bake until the lemon peels are thoroughly dried, around 45 minutes, slightly more if you used a peeler and the lemon is thick, or slightly less if your oven only goes as low as 200 degrees.

Let cool, then grind to desired coarseness in a spice grinder, or small food processor.

Add the lavender and pulse/grind a few times. You still want to see some texture here.

Place in a bowl and mix with the salt, if using. the salt is not necessary, and you can control this amount by adding as little or lot as you want, or omit.

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