How to Peel and Pit Lychee Fruit

Lychee Inspiration

A few years ago I was invited to go on a Vietnamese “food crawl,” not too far from where I in live in Los Angeles.

We walked around Westminster, CA., where some of the best Vietnamese eating spots are. The food was delicious, and one of the highlights was shopping in the Vietnamese market.

Among other wonderful things, I purchased a big, gorgeous bag of fresh lychees. I’ve been in love with them ever since.

About Lychees

• Native to Southern China, Lychees are grown in tropical climates all over the world.
• Lychees are very small, just a little bigger than an average grape, and the skin is reddish-pink and slightly bumpy.
• The skin is inedible while the flesh is edible and deliciously sweet and juicy.
• The flesh of a lychee is translucent and white and has a dark brown seed.
• The texture is soft, chewy and jelly-like.
• Fresh Lychees are available in late spring through mid-summer.

I’ve been served them many times, but had never known exactly how to peel and pit lychee fruit. Turns out, it’s easy!

How to Eat Fresh Lychees

As with most produce, eating the fresh fruit on its own is amazing!

They are also delightful in recipes.

A sweet and a savory recipe with Lychees:

• Lychee Ice Cream with Chocolate (pictured below)
• Chicken and Lychee Green Curry

I am excited to share them with you! 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.

Lychees are an incredible eating experience and I urge you to go get some. When in season (late spring through mid-summer), you’ll be able to find them in most Asian markets.

Lychee Ice Cream with Chocolate

Enjoy!

How to Peel and Pit Lychee Fruit

How to Peel and Pit Lychee Fruit

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Learning how to peel and pit lychee fruit is easier than it might seem. This lovely and unique, tropical fruit, native to China, is a delicate, sweet treat.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Difficulty easy

Materials

• Lychee fruit

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Use your fingers to dig into the lychee a bit to remove the pit. It should 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.)

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