Blood oranges: A rosy treat for the New Year

By Kady Guyton
December 31, 2008

Blood orange granita and pan-seared slamon. Click for larger image.

Every year I look forward to mandarin season. Having grown up eating them from cans, I'm always delighted when the first bag lands in my kitchen. I'm usually so distracted by the mandarines, I'm entirely surprised when the blood oranges start to turn up in the stores and produce stands.

Blood oranges look like regular oranges on the outside, but inside the flesh is a rich ruby red with a flavor that has been described as tart or tangy like fruit punch. I find them a little too tart to enjoy out of hand, but they make a fantastic ingredient for all manner of sweet and savory dishes. The color is striking and the flavor is bold enough to stand up to meats or as a cocktail ingredient. Use them in place of oranges if you want to punch up a dish.

Native to the Mediterranean, blood oranges grow very well in California. The first crop is starting to appear now and will be available until March or April. I was told by a grower this past weekend that this year's fruit is a little smaller than usual, but that the flavor seems to be sweeter.

I have a few more blood oranges than usual hanging around my kitchen, so I decided to tackle them from two directions: dinner and dessert.

Taking advantage of the rich color, I opted for a granita for dessert. Granita is a variation on sorbet that can be made by anyone with a freezer and a fork. Popular in the summer, it seemed like a nice way to use up this winter fruit.

The strong flavor of the blood orange also pairs very well with the flavor of salmon. Salmon is, of course, very good for you. Full of omega-3, heart-healthy fat and all the other good stuff. It's also one of the rare fishes with it's own flavor and distinctive color. When shopping for salmon look for wild or Alaskan salmon, as opposed to farmed. Salmon is also pink - always. Never orange or gray.

When searing salmon - or any meat, for that matter - there are two points to keep in mind. The first is that the oil in the pan must be hot. If the oil is hot, the meat will sear as soon as it touches it. If the oil is cold, the meat will soak it up before it starts to sear properly.

The other point is a trick that restaurants refer to as "presentation side down". This translates into putting the side of the meat that will be served up into the pan first. In the case of salmon, that would be the side without the skin or bloodline showing. The theory behind this is that your oil will collect bits of meat and seasoning as it cooks, by putting the pretty side into the pan first, it gets cooked in the cleanest oil.

The vinaigrette would also be delicious over a spinach salad or grilled chicken.

Salmon with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
2 cups fresh blood orange juice
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 cup blood orange segments, well drained of excess juice
2 tablespoons clarified butter
Four 6-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillets
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Place the blood orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until reduced to 2/3 cup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Combine the vinegar with the reduced orange juice. Whisk in the oil. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Fold in the orange segments and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat. When very hot but not smoking, add the salmon and sear for about 4 minutes or until just set around the edges. Turn and sear for an additional 4 minutes or until the fish is just barely cooked through.

While the fish is cooking put the vinaigrette in a small saucepan and gently warm it over low heat. Either place the salmon on each plate or on a serving platter, spoon warm vinaigrette over and serve with rice and vegetables.

Blood Orange Granita
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups blood orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine water and sugar into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally and boil until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temprature.

Meanwhile, place a 9x13 baking dish in the freezer.

When the sugar water has cooled, add the orange and lemon juice and stir to combine. Pour into chilled baking dish and leave in the freezer for 20 minutes. Use a fork to break up the ice crystals, repeat every twenty minutes until small ice shavings have formed and there is no more liquid.

Serve in wine glasses or decorative bowls.