ponzu
noun
pon·zu ˈpän-(ˌ)zü 
: a tangy sauce made with citrus juice, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce and used especially on seafood
Did you know?
The word ponzu is relatively new to English; our earliest English-language evidence of the word - which we borrowed from Japanese - is from 1972. But the word's history isn't as simple as that fact suggests. The Japanese word, which literally means "juice squeezed from sour oranges" is itself from the Dutch word pons. And "pons" comes from (and shares the meaning of) the English word punch as it's used to refer to the beverage concoction that's often served at parties, weddings, and wakes.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Her sauce shelf also includes fish sauce and ponzu sauce. 
Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2022 Lime juice — which balances out the spice nicely — plus ocean clam juice, worcestershire sauce and ponzu. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2022 Red bream is plated under a white truffle ponzu jelly; Scottish langoustine is dusted under English Bergamot. Brad Japhe, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2021 For the salsa, toss the fruit(s), tomato, cucumber, and jalapeno together, then stir in the ponzu sauce. Dana Mcmahan, The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2021 Starters include seared tenderloin with ginger, garlic ponzu and microgreens; wild caught blue crab cakes with a red pepper remoulade; roasted bone marrow with oxtail jam and more. Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 23 June 2021 There’s also a raw bar featuring a Bigeye Tuna Crudo ($15) made with a Cuban coffee ponzu. Arlene Borenstein-zuluaga, sun-sentinel.com, 3 Dec. 2020 The pantry possibilities are, in theory, endless: oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or even ponzu for a light citrus twist. Patricia Kelly Yeo, Bon Appétit, 9 Sep. 2020 Here, a light sauce reminiscent of ponzu is made with soy sauce, citrus and a little rice vinegar. Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2020 See More
Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, 22 Aug. 2022 Lime juice — which balances out the spice nicely — plus ocean clam juice, worcestershire sauce and ponzu. San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2022 Red bream is plated under a white truffle ponzu jelly; Scottish langoustine is dusted under English Bergamot. Brad Japhe, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2021 For the salsa, toss the fruit(s), tomato, cucumber, and jalapeno together, then stir in the ponzu sauce. Dana Mcmahan, The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2021 Starters include seared tenderloin with ginger, garlic ponzu and microgreens; wild caught blue crab cakes with a red pepper remoulade; roasted bone marrow with oxtail jam and more. Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 23 June 2021 There’s also a raw bar featuring a Bigeye Tuna Crudo ($15) made with a Cuban coffee ponzu. Arlene Borenstein-zuluaga, sun-sentinel.com, 3 Dec. 2020 The pantry possibilities are, in theory, endless: oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or even ponzu for a light citrus twist. Patricia Kelly Yeo, Bon Appétit, 9 Sep. 2020 Here, a light sauce reminiscent of ponzu is made with soy sauce, citrus and a little rice vinegar. Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Japanese ponsu, ponzu juice squeezed from sour oranges, from Dutch pons, literally, punch, from English punch entry 4
First Known Use
1966, in the meaning defined above