3 Ways How To Make Lemon Covers For Squeezing On Seafood Or Fish Platter

        My favorite method to make disposable lemon wrap is using plastic wrap. The reasons are plastic wraps in relatively inexpensive, it is easy to make, and are food-grade material. The juice flows so easily through my disposable lemon cover and the plastic doesn’t absorb any juice. Another reason I like using plastic wrap, I always have it in my kitchen.

 *I was using the plastic wrap method when I needed to squeeze lemon in the cooking process for a few years. But bought my lemon OXO cover for squeezing and storing and using it instead. The OXO lemon cover is reusable and all lemon sizes I use fit inside great. I don’t use it as the storage of my lemon. My personal preference is to store cut lemon in a plastic wrap or sandwich bag because I can see the condition of my lemon.

1. Cut a square out of the plastic wrap.

2. Make two ropes by twisting on the sides as in the photo below.

3. Two ends tie together with two knots on the top of the lemon half.

*The top above the knot is better to leave not less than 1 inch, so when we squeeze the lemon our ties won’t untie.

4. Make holes with a toothpick and it ready to go on a seafood platter.

        I like to use this idea to send covered lemon halves with dishes I made. I covered the lemon with plastic wrap and placed a wooden stick but didn’t make holes in the bottom of the lemon half. The wooden stick I add for convenience to make holes when they are ready to eat the fish or seafood dish. In the photo, I added the covered lemon half to broiled steelhead trout for my son’s family. Really convenient for them to use the lemon half and my family doesn’t have to search for lemon seeds in the dish!

       We can make lemon quarters covered with plastic like the technique above or in the shape of fish for fun lemon in the cover presentation. To make the fish shape idea came to me because a lemon quarter looks like a fish’s body. I took the photos with my phone to share the idea with the world!

1. I cut a lemon in quarters.

2. I add seed on the side and it is the eye of the fish. Then I add a mouth for my fish for more resemblance to real fish. The tail we can cut to make a desirable shape. However, don’t cut much because at the end we will be squeezing the lemon quarter and the plastic should stay well on the lemon.

Then I add more details and you can see what I came out with. We can probably add also scales in addition as well. Fun lemon serving idea with seafood or fish dishes!

        Cheesecloth is a great material to make lemon wraps because juice flows so easily through and the fabric does not observe much juice. The cheesecloth gives a natural look to the plate without any plastic. It can be a great option to serve lemon on seafood platters at a rustic wedding, for example. We can make different color ties out of fabric for an interesting appearance. For example, ties match the pattern of the tablecloth. Cut strips out of the fabric, twist it, and tie. Another option is to make ties with cooking strings, kitchen twine, or cooking bands. Some cooking bands are so colorful and we can find them in green and yellow colors.

*I saw some people decorate it with fresh rosemary. It looks presentable and gives a wonderful aroma but is not practical because the leaves of rosemary will be failing out of the cover when we try to squeeze the lemon or remove them from the cover.

1. Cheesecloth is a fabric with an open texture and when we cut it on the sides we have fraying edges. I suggest don’t leave these edges on the top when tying the cover. The reason is pieces of tread can get in your food. The next simple step prevents the problem. The solution is to fold the edges towards the lemon before tying it. The edges will be inside the cover when we make the cover.

2. Then fold the cheesecloth above the lemon and tie it with the string.

Another very simple technique to make a lemon cover out of cheesecloth is to tie the knot with cheesecloth and cut the excess fabric on the top.

      Another material to make a lemon cover is mesh material. Most mesh fabrics are made out of polyester or nylon and it does not absorb any of the lemon juice and can be cleaned and reused if you have to. When you are getting the mesh make sure it is food-grade material and safe to use with food. Food-grade mesh is made to be used for filters and we can buy it on the Internet. Mesh is the best material to make reusable lemon covers.

*You can find sheets of mesh on the Internet easily, search “mesh food grade” and you have many options to buy.

1. I cut a square of mesh and ribbon. If you make many, cut mesh for only one and make a sample. If the size is right, cut more.

Instead of ribbon, we can use baby hair ties and rubber bands, for example. They come in different colors and are inexpensive.

2. Put together four corners on the top of the lemon and wrap the ribbon twice around as I show in the photo. This way will be easy to make a knot (double) or a bow.

3. Cut the ribbon for a prettier presentation.

Very often lemon half or wedge is covered at a fine restaurant for customer convenience. Let’s do the same for our friends and family!

      To stop fraying the edges of the ribbon we can with very simple techniques. The first is to cut the ribbon at the angle as in the photo I did. The second step is to seal the ribbon ends with a candle or lighter. It only works if the ribbon is made out of synthetic material. Synthetic fabric melts when burning and natural fabric burns to ashes.

*Other methods also exist to prevent fabric fraying but they are not my favorite to use on ribbons. We can use nail polish to prevent fabric fraying or special sewing glue.

We can also buy premade lemon wraps, they can be yellow or white in color. Lemon wraps for lemon halves or wedges are available on the Internet. They look like in the photos. Very often used by fine restaurants.

*The photos were taken by me at a New Orleans seafood restaurant Briquette on 9 September  2023.