Ingredient

Satsuma

The satsuma is a Japanese mandarin, seedless, thin-skinned and the earliest of the winter citrus to reach the shops. It peels in one movement, which is most of its appeal, and it has a short and unforgiving shelf life, which is most of its problem.

Why it peels the way it does

A satsuma's skin sits loosely over the fruit with an air gap between peel and flesh, and the membrane holding the segments together is unusually thin. That combination is what makes it come apart in your hands, and it is a genuine varietal characteristic rather than a sign of ripeness.

The same loose structure is why the fruit bruises without showing it, dries out from the inside, and moulds quickly once one goes. A satsuma has almost no defence against handling.

Sugar is high and acid is low, which makes it the mildest of the common citrus. It is also why a satsuma tastes flat in cooking where an orange would taste bright: there is very little acidity to carry it.

What to do with a box that is going over

This is the practical question with satsumas, because it happens every year.

• Juice them all at once and freeze it in trays. The juice is sweet and low-acid; add lemon when you use it.
• Zest before you do anything else. Even a soft satsuma usually has good peel, and the zest is the most valuable part.
• Roast the halves cut-side down with pork or chicken. Heat concentrates the sugar and fixes the flatness.
• Segment into a compote with a strip of ginger and a spoonful of honey, simmered for five minutes only.
• Dry the peel. Strips on a rack in a warm kitchen become a real store-cupboard ingredient for braises.
• Marmalade with lemons. Satsumas alone will not set; roughly one lemon to four satsumas gives enough acid and pectin.

Choosing and storing

The best test

Weight. A satsuma that feels light has already dried inside and will be cottony however good it looks.

Skin

Slightly loose is normal. Skin that has pulled fully away and rustles is a fruit past its best.

Green patches

Common and harmless. Satsumas are often picked before the skin has fully coloured.

Storage

One layer, cool, with air around them. Never in a sealed bag and never piled deep.

Fridge

Extends them by a week or so. Take them out an hour before eating or they taste of nothing.

Why they arrive at Christmas

The satsuma ripens early — October to December in the northern hemisphere — which put it in British shops at exactly the point in the year when no other fresh fruit was available. That accident of timing, rather than any particular association with the festival, is why a satsuma in the toe of a stocking became a tradition.

The fruit is still called mikan in Japan, where it is eaten in enormous quantity through the winter, often sitting on top of a heated kotatsu table.

Common questions