A fluorescent probe (2a-LP) based on an unnatural amino acid (UAA) is developed for the detection of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL). In the presence of PAL, 2a-LP is catalytically deaminated to ortho-amino-transcinnamic acid (o-a-CA), which shows a remarkable “off–on” fluorescence signal. Thus, the probe 2a-LP enables direct visualization of the PAL activity in tomato under UV illumination and has potential in vitro assays.