This past weekend I was fortunate enough to go on a Vietnamese “food crawl” with the lovely Kim of Rustic Garden Bistro.We walked around Westminster, CA., where Kim’s favorite Vietnamese eating spots are. The food was delicious, the company was delightful, and one of the highlights for me was shopping in the Vietnamese market. Among other wonderful things, I purchased a big, gorgeous bag of fresh lychees.
I’ve eaten them many times, but had never known how to peel and pit lychee fruit. Turns out, it’s easy! And as with most produce, eating them fresh is the absolute best.
I am beyond excited to share them with you!
Lychees are absolutely stunning, delicate, very sweet, aromatic, and oh-so-delicious!
Lychees are an incredible eating experience and I urge you to go get some. Now! It’s peak season! (You’ll be able to find them in most Asian markets.)
If you haven’t eaten a fresh lychee before, you’ll want to know how to peel and pit one. It’s an easy and quick process.
A ripe lychee should be easy to peel with your fingers.
Be very gentle as you carefully remove the thin skin from the fruit. It will likely come off in just a few pieces.
Now use your fingers to dig into the lychee a bit to remove the pit.
It should very easily slide right out.
You’ll notice a very thin, brownish layer from the pit, that will remain on the the inside of the fruit.
Don’t try to remove this — it’s very soft and doesn’t detract from the flavor of the fruit. (If you try to remove it, you’ll loose a lot of juice in the process.)
How to eat lychee:
Well, there’s the obvious . . . after you’ve mastered how to peel and pit lychee fruit, pop them right in your mouth!
You can mix them into fruit salad, or even a green salad.
And why not get involved with delicious another culinary project, and Check out my Lychee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe! I suspect you’ll love it.
Easy, right? And fun!
Yay! Now you know how to peel and pit lychee fruit, and how to eat lychee. Your life is complete. 😉
MImi Avocado says
July 27, 2012 at 3:06 pmBeautiful! Yes, I want to try some lychees! Wonder if I can find some in Vermont?
Kim says
July 29, 2012 at 6:24 pmHi Valentina! So good to see you at the food crawl; thank you for coming! Great tips. 🙂 So what are you going to do with your bag of lychees?!
[K]
Cathy @ She Paused 4 Thought says
October 3, 2013 at 2:17 amWow. I have always been intimidated by a lychee. I can’t wait to get my hands on some and try your ice cream.