Citrus Recipes to Brighten your table

By Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for The Food Co-op

I’m sharing my favorite ways to use oranges, lemons, and limes. These recipes are simple, full of flavor, and guaranteed to inspire.

Orange and Kalamata Olive Chopped Salad

This salad is a vibrant mix of sweet, salty, and crunchy. Start by measuring out one cup of pitted kalamata olives. Chop half of a red onion, and if it’s too sharp, blanch it in boiling water for one minute. Zest two navel oranges, peel and slice them into sections. Add the zest of both oranges, along with the zest and juice of one lemon. Mince half a cup of Italian parsley, dice one cup of celery, and toast one cup of almonds until golden. Toss everything together with a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes and half a teaspoon of sea salt.

To bring the flavors together, briefly pulse the mixture in a food processor until it reaches a chunky salsa consistency—or chop everything by hand if you prefer a rustic texture. Serve it as a side dish or a topping for grilled fish or chicken.

Citrus Salad Dressing

This dressing is quick to make and full of citrusy brightness. In a small bowl, blend two tablespoons of Meyer lemon juice with four tablespoons of avocado oil. Add one teaspoon of lemon zest, half a teaspoon of minced fresh thyme, and one teaspoon of Dijon mustard. For a savory depth, finely chop one salted anchovy and one clove of garlic, and mix them in. Finish with a quarter teaspoon of sea salt.

Blend everything together or give it a quick blitz in a mini food processor.

Orange and Lime Mint Chutney

Begin by dry-roasting one teaspoon each of cumin seeds and coriander seeds, along with a quarter cup of sesame seeds, half a cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, and half a cup of cashews. Stir them frequently in a heavy-bottomed skillet until the coconut and nuts darken slightly and the sesame seeds pop.

In a food processor, combine the roasted ingredients with one cup each of chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Add two teaspoons of pickled jalapeño, 1 tablespoon of finely minced fresh ginger, and one minced clove of garlic. Sprinkle in one teaspoon of sea salt and two tablespoons of coconut sugar. Pour in the juice of two limes (about a quarter cup), the zest of both limes, and half a cup of fresh orange juice. Pulse until the mixture is chunky but blended. This chutney is perfect with fish, chicken, egg or any Indian dishes.

Preserved Lemon Relish

Start with two dozen Meyer lemons. Cut off their tops and tails, quarter them, and remove the core membranes and seeds. Chop each quarter in half. For every cup of lemon chunks, add one teaspoon of sea salt.

Toss the salted lemon chunks into a food processor and pulse until they reach a relish consistency. Pack the mixture into pint jars, leaving an inch of headroom, and let them ferment at room temperature for three to four days. Once they taste more sour than salty, they’re ready to use. Store the jars in the fridge, where the relish will keep for up to a year. Use it in salad dressings, marinades, or even desserts—it’s endlessly versatile.

Pickled Red Onions with Mock Bitter Orange Brine

These pickled onions are tangy, citrusy, and perfect for tacos. Thinly slice four cups of red onion rings and blanch them in boiling water for one minute. Drain and shock them in ice water.

For the brine, combine half a cup of fresh orange juice, the juice and zest of two limes, and one cup of fresh grapefruit juice. Add half a cup of water, one teaspoon of dried oregano, ten black peppercorns, three allspice berries, one teaspoon of coriander seeds, two bay leaves, and sea salt to taste.

Place the onions in a mason jar and pour the brine over them. Let them pickle for at least two hours before serving. 

I hope these recipes inspire you to explore the possibilities of cooking with citrus. From salads to chutneys to quick pickles, let the zest and juice transform your kitchen into a celebration of sunny flavors.

Green olive, parsley, and Valencia orange salsa with almonds

1 ½ cups

This recipe and other salads and salsas are included in our Community Cook upcoming recipe pamphlet “ Sheet Pan Fiesta”

Salsa

1 cup pitted green olives

1 bunch of green onions, white parts chopped

2 Valencia oranges  

1 cup parsley, chopped

Juice of one large lime

⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

Sheet Pan Almonds

1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Sprinkle of sea salt

Oranges

Cut off the tops and bottoms. Set the oranges on their bottoms, and with a knife, following the curve of the orange, cut off the peel and pith. Remove the sections from the membranes with your fingers. You don’t need to keep them whole because you’ll chop them. 

Salsa

Add all the salsa ingredients to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, or chop by hand.  Put the salsa in a serving bowl.

Sheet Pan Almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add the almonds, coat with the oil, sprinkle on the smoked paprika and salt. Bake until fragrant. Watch closely! (2-4 minutes) While still warm, add to the salsa. Serve immediately.

Sunny Citrus Salad

Serves 4

Salad

4 cups grated carrots

2 sectioned Cara Navels, cut into bite-sized pieces

4 stalks celery, finely diced

½ cup toasted pecans, chopped

½ cup sliced dates

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

(Maldon flaked salt at the table as needed)    

Dressing

⅔ cup avocado oil

⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely minced

¼ teaspoon powdered turmeric

For the salad: mix the grated carrots, celery, and dates together in a large low salad bowl. Grind the black pepper and fennel together and mix in. Lay the sectioned fruit on top in a sunburst design.

Serve the dressing at the table alongside the salad.

For the dressing: In a food processor, pulse the ginger and garlic together into a paste. Add and process the lemon juice, zest, mustard, turmeric and salt. While the machine is running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. 

Lime, salt and pepper dipping sauce

Serves 4

A delightful do-it-yourself condiment, to be mixed, as liked, by the diner at the table.

4 small limes, quartered

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 small red chilies, deseeded and thinly sliced

In small shallow bowls, divide the ingredients, making heaps of the salt and pepper and arranging the limes and chilies alongside. Squeeze as much lime as liked into the salt and pepper bowl. Using chopsticks, mix some salt and pepper into the lime. Add the chili slices at the last moment.

Lemon Tahini Parsley Sauce

Makes 1½ cups

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of one medium lemon

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

⅓ cup toasted sesame tahini

Using a food processor or blender: add the garlic and pulse until fine. Add the parsley, salt, lemon and tahini and pulse together. Slowly, add the oil while the machine is running until the sauce is creamy. The sauce will keep refrigerated for 1 to 2 weeks.