Ingredient
Clementine
A clementine is a cross between a mandarin and a sweet orange, and it is the citrus that occupies most British fruit bowls between November and February. It has a firmer flesh and a tighter skin than a satsuma, which makes it slightly harder to peel and considerably better at surviving a week in a bowl.
What sets it apart
The clementine sits between the satsuma and the orange in almost every respect. It is glossier and deeper in colour than a satsuma, firmer in the segment, a little more acidic, and it holds its shape when you cut it rather than collapsing.
That firmness is why it is the loose-skinned citrus worth cooking with. Satsuma segments turn to pulp in a warm pan; clementine segments hold long enough to be worth putting there.
It is reliably seedless when grown in isolation, and reliably seedy when grown among other citrus that can pollinate it. A box with pips is not a different variety, just a differently situated orchard.
Where it earns its place in cooking
- Roasted whole or halved alongside pork, chicken or duck. The heat concentrates the sugar and softens the peel enough to eat.
- Segments in a winter salad with fennel, watercress, chicory or beetroot.
- Clementine and almond cake, the boiled-whole-fruit kind. The thin pith makes it far less bitter than the orange version.
- In a trifle or a set cream, where the sweetness needs no added sugar and the acidity is gentle enough not to interfere with setting.
- Zest in a sugar rub for shortbread or biscuits. Rub it into the sugar first with your fingers.
- Poached in a light syrup with a cinnamon stick and a star anise — a very old-fashioned British pudding and a genuinely good one.
Segmenting one properly
Worth doing for anything where appearance matters.
- Slice off the top and bottom so the fruit sits flat.
- Stand it on a board and cut down the sides following the curve, taking the peel and all the white pith away in strips.
- Hold the peeled fruit over a bowl to catch the juice.
- Cut in towards the centre alongside each membrane, and the segment drops out clean.
- Squeeze what is left of the membranes over the bowl. That juice is worth more than it looks and should go into the dressing.
Buying and keeping
- Weight
- Heavy for its size. A light clementine has dried inside its skin and will be woolly.
- Leaves
- A fruit sold with leaves attached is a good sign of freshness, though the leaves themselves wilt within a day or two and mean nothing after that.
- Keeping
- A week or so in a cool room, three weeks or more in the fridge. Better than a satsuma and worse than an orange.
- Puffiness
- A skin that has lifted right away from the flesh means the fruit is past its best, even if it looks fine.
- Freezing
- Segments freeze poorly and turn to mush. Juice and zest both freeze well.
Common questions
What is the difference between a clementine and a satsuma?
The clementine is firmer, glossier, slightly more acidic and keeps considerably longer. The satsuma is looser-skinned, softer and earlier in the season.
Why are some boxes seedy?
Because the trees grew near other citrus and were cross-pollinated. It is not a different fruit.
Can I use clementines in marmalade?
You can, but they are low in acid and pectin, so it needs lemon juice and usually added pectin. The result is soft and sweet rather than sharp.
Is the peel useful?
Yes — dry strips of it and use them in braises, or candy them. The oil is excellent, though the peel is thinner than an orange and yields less.
Why do they taste different in January than in November?
Early fruit is picked less ripe and is sharper. Sugar rises through the season.