Reader Question - Cooking with Citrus

Lauren from Charlotte asks...

"Summer is here! I really love the taste of citrus and would like to cook with citrus more often. What are some ways to incorporate citrus into my dinner menu?"

Citrus certainly does brighten up a summer menu. You're in luck, though. The only limit to incorporating delicious, fresh citrus into your dinner is your imagination. Whether it's oranges, lemons, grapefruits, or limes, the juice and the zest packs a huge flavor punch and partners especially well with summery foods like salads and fish. There's no need to limit your citrus flavors to dinner, by the way. A ruby red grapefruit makes a fantastic breakfast and you can't beat a mandarin orange salad for a light lunch. Citrus also has the added benefit of being very good for you. Here's a great marinade recipe to get started, and I'll share a few technique ideas at the end.

Citrus Marinated Chicken

Serves 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours / all day / overnight

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

• 1 chicken, cut into pieces
• You can also use boneless, skinless breasts or thighs, or even just the wings for an interesting twist on party wings
• Pork tenderloin also works very well here, as does swordfish or halibut. With fish, only marinate about 30 minutes, to avoid an unpleasant "ceviche" effect
• 1 tbsp lemon zest, about 1 large lemon
• juice of the same lemon
• 1 tbsp orange zest, about 1/2 a large orange
• juice of the same orange
• 1 cup sauvignon blanc or other fruit white wine
• if you do not cook with alcohol, use 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar with 3/4 cup of water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 large, 4 medium sprigs oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed but not chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Whisk together the liquid ingredients and zest with the salt and pepper. Add the herbs and garlic. Pour into a gallon-sized plastic zipper bag and add the chicken, pork, or fish. Marinate for 8 hours for chicken and pork, or 30 minutes for swordfish or halibut. Do not use a delicate fish, although this can be adapted into a sauce for a more delicate fish. In such a case, omit the wine and herbs and mince the garlic. Add a touch of mustard and whisk vigorously with the olive oil, like in our vinaigrette recipes. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the cooked fish.


Some Technique Ideas

You can always rely on a good lemon vinaigrette, as noted in our salad dressing post, and incorporate lemon and lime zest into fish and poultry dishes. Everyone knows that lemon juice goes well with fish, but the zest brings a completely different and equally magnificent layer of citrus punch. Lamb also takes lemon zest well with garlic. A lemon compound butter (lemon zest mashed with a few tablespoons of butter, salt, pepper, and parsley) goes well on chicken, fish, or steak.
Don't forget dessert! Lemon bars, orange sherbet, lime sorbet... All delicious homemade or store-bought and packed with summer freshness. I hope this helps! Enjoy.