Skillet Jam
Skillet jams are inherently laid-back, made to enjoy right away. Without the need for preserving, you can scale back the sugar and let the fruit’s natural flavor really pop. This is a version from a special new cookbook, Eating at Home by Trinity Mouzon Wofford.
This skillet jam is for all of you who love homemade jam, but find traditional canning a bit much - the sterilizing, the jars, the ratios, etc. It comes from an absolute gem of a new cookbook, Eating at Home by Trinity Mouzon Wofford, and it is as simple as it is flavorful. This easy-breezy approach to jam-making delivers intensely bright, not overly sweetened spreads - beautiful swiped across thick slabs of sourdough. If you're a smoothie fan with a freezer stocked with berries, you're already half way there. 
One of the things I love most about skillet jams is that, because they’re meant to be eaten fresh - say, within a week, refrigerated - they don’t need to be shelf stable. As a result, they use just a fraction of the sugar required to preserve conventional jams. Let's talk a bit more about the jam, and then I'll share some favorite aspects of the cookbook.
Skillet Jam: Ingredients
- Fruit: You can use fresh or frozen fruit here. I’ve found that using frozen berries is a great way to use up any fruit accumulated in my freezer.
- Lemon: I like to use a Y-peeler to remove the lemon rind, then slice it thinly with a sharp knife rather than using a microplane. The zest ends up with more structure, so it doesn’t disappear as the jam cooks.
- Sugar: granulated. You rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips.
- Salt: To balance out the sweetness a bit.
Skillet Jam: Inspiration
I came across this skillet jam in Eating at Home. This is a complete charmer of a cookbook - one that I bought at the neighborhood bookstore a few blocks from our house. I stop in often to see what’s new, and while I don’t always leave with something, this one felt like it needed to come home with me. 
The full title is Eating at Home: The Nourishing Practice of Everyday Cooking. A quick flip through - the food looked gorgeous, the recipes very approachable, and the vibe wholesome and encouraging. Trinity Mouzon Wofford writes about cooking on a shoestring budget for a family of four, noting, “...I quickly noticed our dollars went furthest at the local farmers market. As the seasons passed, I learned to look past the ephemeral strawberries to the hardworking root vegetables and greens that would form the foundations of our meals. I discovered that shiitake and oyster mushrooms could sub in for the richness of meat at a fraction of the cost.” It’s the kind of book I can imagine giving as a gift for a wide range of people. It encourages the practice and celebration of simple home-cooked meals, and the importance of slowing down in a hectic, scary world to make space for good, intentional meals.
The book design is what initially caught my attention - the brown and yellow palette, woodblock illustrations, and bright lime endpapers. It uses Falcon Nuvo and Broadsheet fonts, with illustrations by Issey Kobori, Trinity’s husband. Design by Emma Campion, photos by Dane Tashima. The whole package comes together beautifully.
More Trinity:
So, keep your eyes peeled for Eating at Home, be sure to flip through it if you get a chance. And in the meantime, definitely make a round of this skillet jam. We've been enjoying ours all week, I made ours with (frozen) raspberries and strawberries and it is perfect on sesame sourdough.
Variations
- Blueberry Skillet Jam: I just made a version of this using about 2/3 wild blueberries (frozen), 1/3 raspberries (frozen), and 6-7 strawberries (frozen). I also added a couple pinches of freshly ground cardamom, and finished the jam with 2 teaspoons of vanilla paste. SO GOOD!
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Skillet Jam
This jam is stored in the refrigerator, not canned for shelf preservation. This allows you to use much less sugar. Trinity notes,”…any berries or stone fruit like peaches, plums, and cherries will work well here. In the wintertime, I use mixed frozen berries with beautiful results.” I made my version using half frozen strawberries, half frozen raspberries - so delicious!
- 2/3 cup / 135 g cane sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grated lemon, grapefruit, or orange zest
- 6 cups / 1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen berries, or chopped very ripe stone fruit
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml fresh lemon, grapefruit, or orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
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In a large stainless steel or enamel-lined skillet, combine the sugar and citrus zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers until it's slightly moistened and fragrant. Stir in the fruit, citrus juice, and salt.
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Place the skillet over high heat and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the juices come to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring often and mashing the fruit with the back of a spoon until it's thick enough that you can drag the spoon across the pot and no liquid immediately rushes in to fill the bare spot, 10 to 15 minutes. If you want to break up the fruit as it cooks, use culinary scissors or a large fork - I found this helpful with strawberries.
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Turn off the heat and continue stirring for another minute or so to encourage the jam to cool a bit. You can eat it warm now, or transfer to a heatproof jar or container and let cool to warm room temperature. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Makes about 2 cups.
Slightly adapted from Eating at Home: The Nourishing Practice of Everyday Cooking by Trinity Mouson Wofford with Rebecca Firkser (Ten Speed Press, 2026)
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Comments
Thank you for the inspiration! Made quick work of a bunch of loquats from the neighbors to make a loquat vanilla jam. Loved how this method let the delicate flavors shine.
That sounds amazing Jen!
I’ve been making a version of this for years, but never thought to include lemon zest and a bit of salt! These ingredients really take this jam to a new level. I add chia seeds and omit sugar and my sweet-toothed 4 and 6 year old are none the wiser. YMMV. I also make it in large batches (using an entire Costco bag of frozen berries) and freeze most portions. It thaws and reheats beautifully.
Thanks for the insights Anne! The freezer tip is super helpful.
Hi, Heidi! How much does this recipe make, and how long can I store it in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Moe – it makes roughly 2 cups and can be stored in the fridge for a week. Per Anne’s comment, you can freeze any that you won’t use in that timeframe. Enjoy!
Heidi,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe post and telling us about Trinity Mouzon and her book, “Eating at Home”. I will definitely use the recipe and go out and buy the book.
warmly,
Drew
Thanks Drew! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. And the jam technique is fantastic.
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