When lemons cannot be zested [View all]

I found an older pasta recipe (I always need recipes): spaghetti, chopped basil, 2/3 c extra virgin olive oil, 5oz of grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons) and zest, I have zested the three large lemons.

But last week, while all the lemons were soft and juicy I could not zest any of them, using that special tool.

I finally skipped it, figured the dish was lemony enough.

But I wonder whether there is a way to zest soft lemons.