Raise your hand if you’re craving some bright color in your life right now.
And not in the form of kale salad or a sad supermarket bouquet.
Me, me, me!
I’ll never stop being mesmerized by blood oranges and winter citrus. Their intense pink-orange hue feels like a little gift from the sun in the depths of January. It’s exactly the pop of color and cheer the season needs.
Years ago I was obsessed with fruit salsas, especially with seafood. Life has changed in many ways since then, but nothing changed about my love for quick, bright salsas—especially as a topping for salmon and flaky whitefish.
Winter is cold and gray right now. If it’s not raining it’s snowing, and I’m longing for a hint of spring. I don’t want to rush time, but I do want something that feels like an early preview—so I’m surrounding myself with this citrusy, buttery salmon. It’s downright fantastic.
The flavor here is simply incredible.
Start by mixing brown sugar, salt and lemon zest, then stir in olive oil to make a sweet-and-salty citrus rub. Spread that over the salmon before broiling, and top the fillet with thin blood orange slices for extra sweetness and flavor.
After broiling, drizzle the salmon with melted herb butter—because butter makes everything better—and finish with a vibrant winter citrus salsa made from more blood orange, Cara Cara orange, diced shallot and jalapeño. Fresh cilantro and lime juice brighten it all up.
Expect to see a lot of blood orange recipes around here this month. The obsession is real while they’re in season—enjoy them while you can. I wouldn’t mind having a blood orange tree in January, honestly.
Serving ideas: aside from standing over the baking sheet and eating this with a fork like a maniac, it’s delicious over a large salad with lots of feta and something crunchy like sliced almonds. It’s also excellent with brown rice or a rice and quinoa blend, roasted potato wedges, or flaked onto crunchy crackers or flatbread with cheese.
Winter Citrus Butter Salmon
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Ingredients
- 1 (2-pound) salmon filet
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 blood orange thinly sliced
herb butter
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs basil, oregano, sage, thyme, etc.
- pinch of salt
winter citrus salsa
- 1 blood orange segmented and chopped
- 1 Cara Cara orange segmented and chopped
- 1 small shallot diced
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
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Preheat your oven’s broiler to high and position the rack about 6 inches below it.
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Place the salmon on a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, pepper, minced garlic and lemon zest. Add olive oil to form a wet rub and spread it over the salmon. Arrange thin blood orange slices on top.
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Broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the salmon is just opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Drizzle with the herb butter and serve with the winter citrus salsa. Great over a salad with feta or with brown rice and quinoa.
herb butter
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Whisk together the melted butter, chopped fresh herbs and a pinch of salt.
winter citrus salsa
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Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one day.
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I appreciate you so much!
Can we even eat something this pretty?