Backhousia citriodora
Fam: Myrtaceae (myrtle family)

Lemon myrtle is a citrus-fragranced spice that is native to coastal regions of Australia. It has been described as "more lemon than lemon".

Lemon myrtle has been growing wild in the coastal areas of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia for many thousands of years.

When lemon myrtle was identified and classified, the botanical name Backhousia, was given to this species after a Yorkshire nurseryman, james Backhouse. Lemon myrtle trees are now grown in South Africa, the southern United States and southern Europe and in more recent times, propagation with a view to extracting the essential oil has taken place in China, Indonesia and Thailand.

Description
The lemon myrtle tree is usually grown to around 26 ft. (8 m) tall but can occasionally attain a height of over 60 feet (20 meters). The fragrant leaves, which are 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12 centimeters) long, are dark green, glossy, and lanceolate, or lance-shaped, looking similar to bay leaves. The small, cream-colored flowers of the lemon myrtle grow in clusters at branch tips throughout the summer season. Both the flowers and fruits may be eaten as well as the leaves.Lavender Bee Balm: Large and colorful, spicy flowers. Often called bergamot because its citrusy flavor is similar to the bergamot orange, bee balm flowers make a great addition to oil when frying white fish or scallops. Their strong flavor also goes well with meat and pork dishes. Bee balm leaves have a very strong flavor and should be dried before use. Add the dried leaves to black tea to make your own Earl Grey. Use whole flowers to make attractive floating garnishes in punch bowls of sangria, or use them to decorate the rim of a serving platter. Bee balm flowers can be fresh-frozen and will keep for two months or more. Flower color: purple

The aroma of lemon myrtle is similar to a blend of lemon verbena, lemongrass and kaffir lime with a slight eucalyptus background. The flavor is distinctly lemony and tangy, with distinct lime zest notes and a pleasantly lingering, slightly numbing camphor aftertaste. Powdered lemon myrtle leaf is coarse, pale green and when fresh releases all of these aroma and taste attributes.

Purchasing and Storage
Fresh lemon myrtle leaves can sometimes be bought from specialty native Australian foods suppliers; however, the more convenient whole or powdered lemon myrtle leaf is readily available from herb and spice shops and many gourmet food retailers. Because of the volatility of the essential oil, it is important to purchase only small quantities (say less than 1 2/3 ounces/50 g for normal household requirements) of freshly produced lemon myrtle powder in airtight packaging. Store in the same way as other delicate green herbs, in a well-sealed container in a cool, dark place.

Culinary Uses of Lemon Myrtle
Because the flavor of lemon myrtle resembles that of the citrus fruit so closely but lacks the fruit's acidity, it is especially useful in recipes that are milk- or cream-based. It imparts a strong lemony flavor and won't cause dairy products to curdle. On the other hand, it is unsuitable for extended cooking times, as the lemon flavor begins to dissipate and a strong eucalyptus flavor can begin to emerge. For this reason, lemon myrtle is more successfully used to flavor cookies, ice creams and sorbets, pasta, stir-fries, fish, and grilled meats than foods requiring longer cooking times, such as roasts and dense cakes.

In addition to its use in prepared dishes, lemon myrtle is a good choice to add flavor to spice rubs and marinades for poultry and fish, flavored vinegars, salad dressings, and dips. It can even be used as a flavoring agent in hot or iced tea. There are, however, two basic guidelines worth remembering to achieve the best results. One is to add only a small amount, say 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1 to 2 mL), or 1 to 2 leaves, to 1 pound (500 g) of meat or vegetables, then taste before adding more. The other is to put lemon myrtle only in recipes that cook for a short time, never subjecting it to extreme temperatures for more than 10 to 15 minutes. The reason for this caution is that when too much lemon myrtle is used, or when it is cooked for too long, the flavor-giving volatile oils will be destroyed and a sharp, possibly unpleasant eucalyptus flavor will dominate.

Lemon myrtle is an excellent substitute for lemongrass and complements Asian stir-fry dishes, especially those with chicken, seafood and vegetables. Broiled chicken, pork and fish are given a lift when a little lemon myrtle is sprinkled on before cooking, as is smoked salmon served cold. While some cooks like to put lemon myrtle in cakes and muffins, I generally prefer it in sweet things that are cooked more quickly at a lower heat, such as blinis and pancakes. In these quick-cooking applications, infuse lemon myrtle in a little hot water to bring out the flavor first.

Attributed Medicinal Properties
The leaves contain much essential oil (typically, 4 to 5%), which is made up almost totally of terpenoid aldehydes: citral (90 to 95%), neral and geranial. Trace constituents are myrcene, linalool, citronellal, cyclocitral and methyl-heptenone.

Citral has several medicinal uses. It is a potent antiseptic and may prove useful in treating gastro-intestinal infections, including Helicobacter pylori, which is responsible for many cases of gastric ulcer. It has antispasmodic properties that help alleviate intestinal spasms, as may occur with intestinal infections or adverse reactions to foods. Overall, it has a relaxing effect. Further, one of its modern applications is for treating throat disorders, either due to infection or to overuse and irritation.

The essential oil obtained from lemon myrtle contains antimicrobial compounds and is often used as an ingredient in shampoos, therapeutic body lotions, soaps, and household cleaners. The oil is believed to possess the ability to repel fleas and is therefore a feature of some chemical-free pet shampoos.

Other Names
lemon ironwood, sand verbena myrtle, sweet verbena tree, tree verbena
French: Myrte citronnée, Myrte citron
German: Zitronenmyrte

Recipes using Lemon Myrtle

Lemon Myrtle Scallops with Citrus Salad

When segmenting the citrus fruits, be sure to remove the flesh from between the membrane.

Serves 4 as a starter

Citrus Salad:
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
2 pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented
1 lime, peeled and segmented
3 cups (750 mL) baby spinach leaves
2 teaspoons (10 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

12 scallops
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL) ground lemon myrtle
2 teaspoons (10 mL) butter

For the salad, blanch orange, grapefruit and lime segments in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, toss with baby spinach and dress with olive oil.

Trim scallops of any membrane and dust with lemon myrtle. In a frying pan, melt butter over high heat. When butter just starts to foam, add scallops and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates and top with seared scallops.

Grilled Barramundi with Lemon Myrtle Mash
Barramundi has a delicate white flesh which is mild-flavoured and can be cooked in a variety of different methods such as being grilled, steamed or even crumbed and pan fried.

4 x 200g (7 oz.) barramundi fillet skin on
1kg (2 pounds) potatoes
120ml (½ cup) milk
80g (3 oz.) butter
3g (½ teaspoon) lemon myrtle
pinch salt
macadamia nut oil
45g (3 tablespoons) quandong confit
fresh herbs

Peel the potatoes and place them into small pot with salted cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 40 minutes. Strain and allow to sit for a few minutes to dryout. Then return to pot and mash the potatoes. Add butter, milk and lemon myrtle. Season if required with salt.

Heat the grill or barbeque. Season the barramundi on the skin side and season with salt. Place the barramundi skin side down and cook till crispy, turn over and finish till medium.

To serve, place the lemon myrtle mash potato on the plate, then place the grilled barramundi on the mash. Top with two quandong halves and drizzle some of the confit juices around the plate. Garnish with sprig of fresh herbs.

Lemon Myrtle and Macadamia Baklava

Makes 20-40, depending how large you cut them

300 g macadamia nuts

1 Tbsp dried ground lemon myrtle

60 g unrefined caster sugar

3 Tbsp poppy seeds

a generous pinch of saffron

8 cloves, ground

1 x 400-g packet filo pastry

250 g butter, melted

Honey syrup

160 g runny honey

120 g unrefined caster sugar

30 ml (2 Tbsp) lemon juice

4 cloves

50 ml orange blossom water

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Line a deep-sided 22-cm square, or 18 x 25-cm baking tin with non-stick baking parchment and brush it with a little butter.

Place the nuts, lemon myrtle, sugar, poppy seeds, saffron and ground cloves into a food processor and grind until you have crumbs, not too fine, but definitely not coarse.

Cut the filo sheets to approximately the same size as your baking tin. Lay six sheets of filo snugly into the baking tin, brushing each sheet with butter as you stack them up and pressing them in firmly. Scatter one-third of the nut mixture on top then lay five sheets of filo on top, again brushing each sheet with butter as you lay them in. Add another third of the nuts, then five buttered sheets of filo. Then the last third of the nuts and finally six buttered sheets of filo. Make sure you press the pastry down firmly as you layer it up. Bake for 60 minutes in the centre of the oven.

While it's cooking make your syrup by gently boiling the honey, sugar, lemon juice and cloves with 250 ml water until it resembles a thin syrup, around 6-8 minutes. Turn the heat off but keep it warm. Once the baklava is cooked, bring the syrup back to the boil, stir in the orange blossom water and immediately pour it over the pastry (it'll bubble a bit), then leave it to cool down, pressing a sheet of baking parchment on top after 15 minutes to help keep it flat. Leave to cool, preferably overnight, then invert onto a chopping board and cut with a sharp serrated knife for best results. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.

Lemon Myrtle Linguine

2 bundles of Lemon Myrtle Linguine
Avocado oil (macadamia or olive if unavailable)
Pinch Native pepper leaf powered
One Red capsicum sliced thinly
½ cup of Chives
1/2 cup of Cream
Powdered lemon myrtle
2 leaves of Fresh lemon myrtle (east coast Australia)
8 Raw medium king Prawns (devein, and keep tails on)
10 Cooked school prawns (peeled)
6 Scallops
1 lemon
1 Avocado

Place the lemon myrtle linguine in water for 5 mins ( If you can’t get lemon myrtle linguine, place a level tablespoon of lemon myrtle chopped in the water with the linguine)

Line pan with avocado oil, place raw prawns and scallops in pan, add cream and allow it to reduce for four to five minutes. Add a pinch of pepper leaf, lemon myrtle powder, and salt. Squeeze a half a lemon into dish and stir. Chop up two leaves of lemon myrtle and add to the pan. Turn up heat and stir for one minute. When cream is thicker, add school prawns, chives and capsicum.

Drain linguine and divide into bowls, place seafood on top of pasta, place pan with cream back on high heat to allow to thicken. Place a slice of avocado, a lemon myrtle leaf and slices of lemon on the side of the plate. If you have a scallop shell, place on of the scallops in the shell and place the creamy sauce over the pasta

Mango and Lemon Myrtle Cheese Cake

Sweet delights that can be created with Lemon Myrtle

Serves Eight to Ten

250g Philadelphia or Neuchatel cream cheese
50g sugar
300g biscuit crumb
150g unsalted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
500ml cream
4 egg whites

20gm powdered lemon myrtle
150ml mango puree
100g mango diced
20ml liqueur - rum or mango liqueur
Juice of two limes

5 leaves of gelatine
(Chef's tip) - When adding gelatine have beater going and gelatine hot so it goes in quickly to avoid lumps. Keep this mix at room temperature whilst preparing cream and egg whites.

Make sure whites are free of yolk and mixing bowl is cold and dry. Medium peak is when they are stiff enough to form peaks but not at a glossy meringue stage.

Using a 2' high by 9' diameter spring form cake tin make crumb base by combining biscuit crumb, melted butter and cinnamon. Mix until wet sand texture that will hold when squeezed in the hand.

Line the base of the cake tin about 1cm thick by packing in mix by hand then cool.

Whip cream cheese and sugar with whisk attachment in electric beater. Add liqueur, lemon myrtle, lime juice, mango puree and gelatine. Remove to separate large mixing bowl. Whisk cold egg whites in beater to medium peak. Keep refrigerated. Whip cold cream in beater to soft peak. Add diced mango to cream cheese mix. Fold in cream and egg whites. Pour mix into cake tin and refrigerate for several hours to set.

To serve run a fine knife around tin to separate and release spring. Cut cheesecake into portions and serve.

Aussie Creamed Rice

A nostalgic favourite with many modern possibilities!

Serves 4

3 1/2 cups Milk
2 tbs Sugar or Honey
1 Vanilla Bean or 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup (150g) White Short or Medium Grain Rice (Koshihikari, Arborio or Calrose)
1-2 tsp Ground Nutmeg or Cinnamon

Combine milk, sugar and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in rice, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove vanilla bean.

Sprinkle with ground nutmeg and serve warm or chilled with fresh or canned fruit or for something different, stir some Greek style yoghurt through cooked rice and replace nutmeg with ground lemon myrtle.

Other simple variations

Baked rice: Combine ingredients in a lightly greased dish, cover with lid or foil and bake in a moderate oven (180°C) until rice is tender.

For a richer texture replace half the milk with cream; coconut milk or coconut cream; orange juice and grated orange zest.

Cook rice with grated or shredded lemon zest; cinnamon stick, cloves and sultanas; mixed peel & toasted almonds; fresh or canned fruit (rhubarb, peaches, apricots, apples).

Simmer 120g sugar with 60mls water in a saucepan until golden. Pour over creamed rice for a creamed rice brulee.

You may also be interested in Bush Tomato, Wattleseed and Mountain Pepper | Tasmanian Pepper

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