Calamansi in Escondido, CA
Calamansi products, including juice, are showing in the current catalog. Search “calamansi” for the live list and store location. Fresh fruit comes and goes, so call ahead when bottled, frozen, or prepared juice will not work for your recipe.
Asian Market La Sorpresa Barata
850 E. Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92025
Quick definition
A small aromatic citrus widely used in Filipino cooking for tart juice, dipping sauces, marinades, and drinks.
Calamansi at a glance
- What it is
- A small aromatic citrus widely used in Filipino cooking for tart juice, dipping sauces, marinades, and drinks.
- Also known as
- kalamansi, calamondin, Philippine lime
- Names you may see
- Filipino: kalamansi
- Cuisine
- Filipino, Vietnamese
- Typical forms
- Fresh fruit when available, pure or sweetened juice, frozen concentrate, beverages, and flavored products
- Common uses
- Sawsawan, pancit, bistek, marinades, calamansi juice, cocktails, and desserts
- Where current matches are located
- Soda Cooler · Cold Drinks; Produce Section
What is calamansi?
Calamansi is a small, fragrant citrus, also called kalamansi or calamondin, used throughout Filipino seasoning and drinks.
The fruit is round and thin-skinned, ripening from green toward orange while retaining a sharply tart juice. Its aroma can suggest lime, mandarin, and orange peel at once. In Filipino kitchens, a few squeezed halves brighten noodles, grilled food, soups, seafood, and soy-based dipping sauces in the same moment a lemon wedge might be used elsewhere.
Retail products need careful reading. Pure calamansi juice, sweetened drink, concentrate, soda, and a fresh fruit are different ingredients. Prepared beverages can be useful for drinking but may add too much sugar to a marinade. Fresh fruit is seasonal and perishable, so an online listing for calamansi juice should not be read as a promise that fresh calamansi is always in produce.
What we carry
These matches come from the same inventory source as our in-store locator. Selection can change; use the locator for the complete current list and exact location.
Tropics Calamansi Juice
8.4 OZ · 4-8.4 OZ
GrocerySoda Cooler · Cold DrinksPhilippine Calamansi Juice
8.4 OZ
GrocerySoda Cooler · Cold DrinksBig Chill Calamansi Juice
11 FL OZ
GrocerySoda Cooler · Cold DrinksDel Monte Calamansi Juice Drink
8.1 OZ
GrocerySoda Cooler · Cold DrinksSun Tropics Pure Calamansi Juice
10 FL OZ
GrocerySoda Cooler · Cold DrinksCalamansi(tac)
ProduceProduce Section
Varieties and forms
Fresh calamansi
Best when aroma and fresh acidity matter, especially as a table condiment. Availability naturally varies.
Pure or frozen juice
Useful for marinades, dipping sauces, and baking when fresh fruit is unavailable. Check whether it is unsweetened.
Sweetened calamansi drink
Ready to drink and often sold chilled, canned, or bottled. It is not a direct cooking substitute for pure juice.
Calamansi-flavored products
Noodles, sauces, and snacks may use calamansi flavor but do not replace citrus juice in a recipe.
What do you use calamansi for?
Use the juice anywhere a dish needs high, aromatic acidity. Add it late when you want a fresh citrus top note, and taste sweetened or concentrated products before measuring.
Toyomansi
A dipping sauce of soy sauce and calamansi, often sharpened with chile.
Pancit
Fresh calamansi squeezed over stir-fried noodles just before eating.
Bistek Tagalog
Beef and onions marinated and sauced with soy and calamansi.
Calamansi juice
A tart drink balanced with water and sweetener to taste.
Calamansi vs. lime
Lime is the practical substitute most people reach for, but calamansi has a distinct orange-peel perfume and slightly different acidity.
Calamansi
Small, floral, and intensely tart, with mandarin-like aroma around the sharp juice.
Persian lime
Larger and cleanly acidic, without the same orange-like fragrance. It works when calamansi is unavailable.
Substitution
Start with a little less lime and taste. A touch of mandarin or orange juice can round the aroma, but the blend remains an approximation.
How should you store calamansi?
Fresh fruit, frozen juice, shelf-stable concentrate, and opened bottled juice each have their own storage directions.
Refrigerate fresh fruit for longer keeping
Keep it dry and inspect it regularly. Use fragrant, firm fruit before it shrivels or molds.
Freeze extra juice
Fresh juice can be portioned into small cubes for later cooking, though its brightest aroma is best right after squeezing.
Check added sugar
Before using bottled juice in savory food, read the label and taste it. A ready-to-drink product may change the balance of the dish.
Explore the full filipino pantry
See related pantry staples, fresh ingredients, departments, and dishes on our Filipino grocery guide. Calamansi is also used in Vietnamese cooking.
Calamansi FAQ
Where can I buy calamansi in Escondido?
Search “calamansi” in Asian Market Escondido’s live locator. It distinguishes current juice, beverage, frozen, and produce listings; call ahead when only fresh fruit will do.
Is calamansi the same as lime?
No. Both are tart citrus, but calamansi has a more floral, mandarin-like aroma. Lime is a workable substitute, not an identical one.
Is calamansi juice always unsweetened?
No. Products range from pure juice and concentrate to sweet ready-to-drink beverages. Read the ingredient list before cooking with it.
Can I use bottled calamansi for bistek?
Yes if it is pure or only lightly sweetened. Taste it first and adjust sugar and salt in the marinade; a beverage-style juice may be too sweet.
Find calamansi at Asian Market Escondido
850 E. Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92025. Open 8:00 AM–8:00 PM, seven days a week. Free parking at the door, two minutes off I-15 at Valley Parkway.
- Address
- 850 E. Valley Pkwy, Escondido
- Hours
- 8:00 AM–8:00 PM · 7 days
- Phone
- (760) 735-9650