Best of the zest: the 19 citrus recipes you never knew you needed

Brought to you by Clemengold

Nothing zests up your life in the chilly season quite like a glass of lip-puckeringly fresh citrus juice. But the season's most versatile fruit is just as delicious squeezed into a creamy seafood sauce, grated into a comforting pudding or roasted with the juiciest chicken you'll eat this winter.

Which citrus to use when?

ClemenGold mandarins, exclusive to Woolies, are sun-ripened, easy to peel and virtually seedless.

Try: Clemengold-glazed roast chicken
Browse all recipes using ClemenGolds here

Seedless limes are ideal for juicing, zesting and using in cooking.

Try: Citrus-and-yoghurt cake
Browse all recipes starring limes here

Seedless star ruby grapefruit have a distinctive red flesh and are ideal for breakfast or for juicing.

Try: juicy citrus chicken
Browse all recipes starring grapefruit here

Easy-to-peel clementines are a cross between mandarin and a sweet orange.

Try: Buttermilk cake with clementines
Browse all clementine recipes here.

Oranges are great for juicing. Navel oranges are easier to peel and good for snacking.

Try: coal-baked orange-chocolate cakes.
Browse all recipes starring oranges here

Easy-to-peel naartjies are sweet, juicy and perfect for snacking.

Try: Naartjie-glazed gammon
Browse all recipes starring naartjies here

Lemons are exceptionally juicy.

Try: lemon meringue pie
Browse all recipes starring lemons here

Citrus loves to be paired with...

Almonds

Try pairing almonds and orange in this orange-sugared almond, chocolate and ricotta cake.

Avocado

What doesn’t pair well with avocado? Avocado and lime join forces in this easy loaf cake with lime drizzle.

Basil

Caramelised lemon is a sticky, delicious technique you didn’t know you loved. It plays beautifully with basil in this baked feta Greek-style salad.

Beetroot

Marinated beetroot and cucumber soak up all the fantastic flavours of a zingy dressing in lemony ricotta quinoa salad

Carrots

Simple flavours shine through in this 15-minute lemon-cream trout and rainbow carrot spaghetti

Chilli

Oranges and limes star in this moreish crowd-pleaser. Plus, the zesty lime and tomato salsa bring all the flavours in this citrus-braised shortrib with chilli and lime to life.

Coconut

You get gewoone milk tart, and then you get this naartjie and cardamom milk tart. The coconut-and-grapefruit crust is the showstopper in this zingy dessert.

Coriander

If you like coriander, you’ll love these lemony lamb meatball gyros.

Dark and white chocolate

Lemon curd is so easy to make! Hiding it in a fondant is a refreshing (and suprising!) take on this decadent dessert.

Ginger

The combination of a ginger, cranberries and clementines stuffing compliments the flavour of salmon beautifully.

Granadilla

This tangy, fruity granadilla cake makes the perfect tea-time treat at any time of the year.

Soya sauce

Once you’ve made your own orange sweet-and-sour crispy pork, deliberating over takeaways will become a thing of the past.

Raise the bar: what drinks to pair with citrus.

Browse more citrus recipes here.

Take a shot of sunshine

Winter can be a little dreary, but at least there’s something to look forward to: the arrival of ClemenGolds in your local Woolies, where they’re available exclusively between July and September. Sun-ripened on the tree until sweet and juicy, virtually seedless and easy to peel, there’s no better way to inject a ray of sunshine into your day. Enjoy them as is, in a sweet tart or zesty salad with almonds, shredded rotisserie chicken, mint, and a ClemenGold-and-honey dressing.

Discover more at clemengold.co.za