Did anyone get a little ambitious while hosting house guests for the holidays or the New Year? Or maybe you were gifted a giant box of citrus, Harry & David style? While citrus stored at room temp can last a few days or up to a week, citrus fruits can store well at temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees F. So whether you’ve got oranges, grapefruits, lemons or lime rolling around on your countertop or in your crisper drawer, you might be wondering, “What do I do with this stuff?”
The good news it that there’s no shortage of options – citrus fruits are one of the few seasonal options during winter months when other varieties of fruit are either hard to find or much more expensive than usual. At my house we love packing cuties or clementines for lunches or snacks. They’re just so easy to peel there’s really no reason not to love them. But for other types or oranges and grapefruits, peeling is much more of a hassle.
Honestly, that’s one of the reason I don’t eat as many orange as I could. But lately I’ve rediscovered how good citrus can make other recipes taste – I’ve been adding slices and wedges to salads, wraps, and more and it’s gotten a lot easier since I mastered this technique.
Here’s a handy step-by-step guide to easily cut citrus slices at home – perfect for salads, grilling, baking, and more!
[Tweet “Check out this step-by-step guide to quickly peel winter citrus for salads, grilling, and more!”]
Looking for even more recipe inspiration to unload your stockpile of winter citrus? Check out these ideas from fellow dietitians and foodies:
Breakfast and Smoothies
- Vegan Mandarin Orange Creamy Coconut Smoothie Bowl from Amy Gorin Nutrition
- Creamy Orange Overnight Oats from Nutrition Starring YOU!
- Cottage Cheese, Orange, and Pomegranate Protein Bowl from Liz’s Healthy Table
- Wild Blueberry Tropical Citrus Smoothie from Shannon A. Garcia, MDS, RD, LD with KISS in the Kitchen
Main Dishes and Bowl
- Winter Goddess Bowl with Quinoa and Avocado Citrus Dressing from Gabriella Vetere, RD of Macrobalanced Nutrition
- Crispy Baked Cara Cara Orange Tofu from Katie Pfeffer MS, RD of One Hungry Bunny
- Orange Balsamic Chicken for Two from Whitney E., RD
- Sweetly Spiced Chicken Thighs from Jill Weisenberger, MS RD CDE
Salads
- Mimosa Poached Salmon Salad by Kara Golis, RD of Byte Sized Nutrition
- Quinoa Edamame Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette from Jennifer Hunt at Healthy Inspiration
- Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Citrus Salad from Lively Table
- Orange, Pomegranate, and Walnut Salad from Beautiful Eats & Things
- Citrus Beet Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette from RDelicious Kitchen
- Citrus Avocado Salad from Judith Scharman Draughon, MS, RDN, LD and author of Lean Body, Smart Life
- Blood Orange Moroccan Salad from Dietitian Debbie
- Winter Citrus Fruit Salad with Pomegranate Rosemary Vinaigrette from Emily Kyle Nutrition
- Shaved Fennel and Citrus Salad with Orange-Ginger Dressing from Chef Catherine Brown, Organic Grower, Culinary Nutritionist at A Seat at My Table
Drinks and Cocktails
- Blood Orange Margaritas from Lively Table
- Blood Orange Chai Tea Latte from Sinful Nutrition
- Pomegranate Orange Mulled Wine from Whitney E. RD
And if you’re looking for a dessert option, check out this one from Chrissy Carroll:
- Broiled Grapefruit from Snacking In Sneakers
So that should get you started if you’re in a rut or tired of peeling winter citrus! What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy fruit during the winter months?
[Tweet “Have you found a creative way to enjoy fruit this winter? Let’s hear it! “]
Questions & Reviews
Okay now all of this looks and sounds amazing! I love citrus in the winter because the vitamins help deflect sickness, and the flavor is absolutely amazing!
Yes, the flavor is my favorite part! It’s one of the few fruits that seems to taste better in the winter – makes sense, it’s the freshest!
Thank you for sharing how to peel an orange! Seriously! It always seems that I have difficulty peeling them or grapefruits!
The grapefruits are impossible!
I looove winter citrus – it’s one of the few redeeming qualities of winter (definitely up there with winter squash). These recipes all look so good.. I can’t wait to pick up some citrus and give some of them a try! Also, A+ on that graphic – I love it! Thanks so much for including my salmon salad in this roundup 🙂
Thanks Kara! I 100% agree about the winter squash too – I’m planning some more recipes with those before we get back to the summer varieties!
We love citrus in the winter, oranges and clementines being the favorites for eating plain. I am not too industrius with citrus but I would try the bloody mary idea.
Yep, it’s hard to beat the clementines – they’re just so easy to peel and just the right size!
Great graphic! My winter citrus game is pretty sub-par as I typically just snack on a clementine here and there. Adding to a wrap sounds like a great idea though!
Thanks Kelly! It sounded weird to me at first but I actually really liked it because I didn’t have to add extra condiments. Sometimes wraps can get a little dry, but this is a good substitute!
All of these recipes sound fantastic! Thanks for including my mulled wine! Happy New Year!
Thanks Whitney! Happy New Year to you too!
OMG, that cottage cheese, orange, and pomegranate bowl sounds very similar to what I eat normally for breakfast, but much prettier!
You’re ahead of the curve! I’m still rediscovering cottage cheese – didn’t like it much as a kid but recipes like this are helping! Thanks for checking it out 🙂
I just love winter citrus! Great post Cara!
Thank you, Sara!
I love the fresh, crisp flavor of citrus in the dull winter. That blood orange looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks Cindy! I love the bright colors, especially on dreary winter days. Blood oranges taste great, too!
I love citrus and winter citrus is the best. More sweet and juicy. I love your tips and advice.
Thank you, Terri!
I’m so glad you put together the tutorial on cutting citrus slices – I’m sooo bad at this! I always end up with a pile of juicy mess on the cutting board lol.
It’s easy to do! I have to always remind myself not to squeeze it to death!
citrus is the best in the winter months! it taste so fresh in the cold months
I’ll have to consider adding more citrus to my salads. I do eat a lot of salad. But I don’t think of adding fruit, even though I enjoy fruit in my salads when I eat out. Thanks for the inspiration!
Wow I’ve never thought about broiling grapefruit! It looks so good and I would love to try it out this week!
Smoothies are something I really need to focus more on! For my GD diet it’s important I am getting proper foods and drinks and I think smoothies with some great citrus would be delicious!
I love citrus fruits, and recently have been loving easy peelers! These are some great recipes that I look forward to trying. Thanks for the great peeling tip too!
That pomegranate mulled wine looks delicious! I love a good recipe with citrus and I tend to use lemon and orange in a lot of the recipes I make lately. Love citrus
What a great round-up – so many inspiring recipes! I’m going to make that Mimosa Poached Salmon Salad tomorrow!
We love salmon at our house, this went on the list for “things to try” too!
This is so on point for me. I love oranges but running out of ideas on what to do with them besides having a snack. Thanks for the ideas, I already pinned a few for this week.
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Awesome, thanks for checking it out! And I agree, I can get stuck in a rut of only including fruit for snacks. But they can add so much flavor to recipes!
I love citrus and the fact that it can be such a versatile ingredient too. I had not tried it on salads but I might just have to give it a try now.
All of these look so good. I’m big on citrus and this list is like an entire meal – digging it.