Mandarins – juicy with a sweet-sharp tang

Mandarins are in season now and will be plentiful for the next few months.

Juicy tangy-sweet mandarins are the perfect refreshing snack but they also lend themselves to many dishes. They’re great with a simple buttery sauce served with chicken, turkey, pork or duck, especially with a dash of tarragon vinegar or verjuice, and they also work in sweet crepes, in small tartlets and fruit salads. They are surprisingly good with chocolate. It’s important to remove all the white pith. You can do this by slicing off the skin at both ends with a large sharp knife, then slicing off the skin around the sides, taking all the white pith as you go. For neatness, cut in between each piece of membrane (the whitish fibrous stuff), letting the little mandarin fillets fall into a bowl. Refrigerate until required.

They are good in fresh pickles and like spices like smoked paprika and coriander seeds, and herbs like tarragon, basil, thyme and mint. They add a welcome burst of juiciness to salads.

Read about tangelos here: Tangelos