Dish

light and fresh end to a spring meal. Tangelos

also go with pears, peaches, bananas, grapes,

guavas and rhubarb. And then there is the

heavenly combination of orange and chocolate.

And orange and ginger. Tangelos do the

business here better than an orange, I think.

Perhaps my favourite way to use tangelos is

in savoury dishes. Juice or segments should

be added towards the end of cooking because

tangelo juice looses its fresh notes when heated

and segments lose their bright colour and

structure. They’re a flavour corrector, too. A

good squirt of tangelo juice can level out the

oiliness of a dish, and help suppress saltiness

(add a dab of honey to mute excess saltiness).

Add a cup of segments with juice to a

Spanish chicken, red pepper and green olive

stew just before serving, and you’ll create a

flavour bomb. Spoon them through a Moroccan

chickpea, chorizo and harissa dish and sprinkle

the lot with chopped coriander, and you’ll

create a standout result. The acidity will make

the red pepper in the stew seem sweeter, and

will help define the spices in the chickpea dish.

I love them in salsa and fresh relish, too.

Any combination of chopped white peaches or

DISH 27

T

angelos are my pick of citrus fruit.
Yes, I love lemons for their fresh
scent and usefulness in the kitchen
but when it comes to eating citrus
as a fruit, it’s not much fun sucking on a lemon.
Tangelos, a hybrid between a sweet mandarin
and a grapefruit, are gorgeously sweet and sharp
at the same time. The acid gives a heightened
mouth-puckering thrill, to the point where
it almost induces a sweat, but mandarin’s
sweetness takes off the acid edge keeping the
overall effect balanced. Just! When squeezed,
the juice is bright in colour, tastes deeply of
orange and is fresh and pleasantly sweet.
There are several varieties of tangelo. Top of
the pile is the Minneola with its deep orange
pockmarked skin and distinctive elongated
neck and nippled top. It’s easy to peel – just get
your thumb under the bump at the top – and
has generous amounts of juice. Other varieties
include Orlando and Seminole.
It’s the acid in tangelos coupled with the
fruity orange taste that makes them so versatile
in the kitchen. They always look great, too,
with their deep orange juicy flesh. A bowl of
strawberries and segmented tangelos makes a

In season: tangelos

Sweet, sharp and fresh – these hybrid citrus fruits bring an unmistakable

brightness to light spring dishes, from a pop of orange in a tasty salad

to a delicious zing in a Spanish stew and much else in between.

Words — JULIE BIUSO / Photography — JOSH GRIGGS

nectarines, green or yellow pepper, red onion

or shallot, chopped coriander, mint or basil,

chopped olives or capers, will work. As will

chopped avocado, tangelo segments, red onion

and hot red chilli and fresh mint. Try this with

a black bean salad topped with sour cream, and

fill tacos, adding shredded pork belly, pan-fried

or barbecued fish fillets, or chopped char-grilled

chicken, to make it more substantial.

Fennel and orange is another curious combo

that works. Trim and finely slice fennel, dress

with extra virgin olive oil, tangelo juice, flaky

sea salt, crushed garlic and tangelo segments.

The fennel can sit around for 30 minutes or so

once dressed (with the tangelo juice), but add

segments just before serving. Garnish with a

shower of chopped chervil or fresh tarragon.

Add small black olives if liked, or finish with

capers sizzled in browning butter. Once you get

on a roll, the possibilities are endless. What you

are looking to create is a balance of acidity, a

tad of sweetness and a dollop of fruity flavours.

Spices like ginger, and herbs like mint and

tarragon, and extras like chillies, capers and

olives, add another dimension. You can make

tangelos work with fish and shellfish, and with

pork, turkey, chicken, duck, ham and lamb, and

with many fruits and some vegetables. It’s the

other ingredients that will pull it all together.

TANGELO

NOTE

The peel is loaded with

citrus oils. Grate and use like

a lemon, or add whole strips

to a casserole, or dry the rind

in a dehydrator and use as

a flavour accent when the

fresh fruit is not in

season.

Substitute tangelo juice for lemon in most desserts. Think lemon

tart, gelato, ice cream, granita, custards and the like, and in nut cakes

or sponges soaked in syrup, and other syrupy desserts like baklava.

Some oranges don’t have enough acidity to balance these sweet dishes,

but tangelos with their bitey little zing do the job well while adding a

notable orange presence.