Roasted Winter Citrus with Shrimp

roasted citrus with shrimp In my last blog post I roasted grapes for the very first time and now I’m doing it with winter citrus. As I stated before, when roasting vegetables and fruit a nice caramelization starts to occur and then all the flavors deeply intensify, it’s a wonderful thing!

sliced citrus Right now I can find beautiful citrus everywhere so on my recent shopping trip I picked up some Navel, Cara Cara, Minneolas and beautiful Blood Oranges. When roasting citrus it’s best if you can keep them all the same thickness when slicing, so I recommend using a mandoline.

roasting citrus Toss your slices in a little bit of olive oil then place them single layer on a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment.

roasted citrus The citrus goes into a hot oven around 425, turning them over once. You might have to remove some slices before others as they can over-caramelize and start to burn, if it happens just discard them like I did.

roasted citrus They taste best when the slices are still pliable and not stiff, and if they’re cut thinly they’re completely eatable and delicious!

roasted citrus with shrimp My shrimp was also roasted and I made a dressing of olive oil and some of the juice of all four oranges.

citrus dressingroasted citrus with shrimp I suggest roasting some extra citrus, the slices store well in the fridge and you can use them on both sweet and savory dishes, it’s my new favorite thing and the colors will perk you up!

This was the perfect meal to brighten a dreary winter day.

Roasted Winter Citrus with Shrimp
 
Ingredients
  • a few different variety of oranges that vary in inner color, at least 2 each
  • 1 lb. of shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tail removed
  • 1 bag of fresh baby spinach
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • parsley and thyme
  • DRESSING
  • ¾ cup of citrus juice
  • ¾ cup olive oil, whisked together
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. TO ROAST THE CITRUS
  2. Heat oven to 425
  3. Slice each orange nice and thin with a mandoline, toss with olive oil and place on a baking sheet, single layer lined with parchment, sprinkle slices with a tiny bit of salt.
  4. Roast until still pliable turning once, be careful not to burn them as they start to caramelize, 10 or so minutes. Set aside to cool.
  5. ROAST SHRIMP
  6. Line a baking sheet with foil and keep oven at 425
  7. Make sure your shrimp is dry and moisture free by dabbing well with paper towels.
  8. Toss cleaned and dry shrimp into a bowl with enough olive oil to coat, add the minced garlic and a generous amount of fresh chopped herbs.
  9. Place onto foil lined baking sheet and roast until shrimp turns pink and tender, maybe 10-12 minutes, times vary according to size of shrimp.
  10. On a platter layer the spinach, citrus slices and warm shrimp, then drizzle all over with the citrus dressing.

 

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Baked Cod with Blood Orange, Fennel and Olives

baked cod with blood orange and fennel Are you having the winter blahs? Here’s a dish that will perk up all your senses, it’s light, bright, healthy and super flavorful and most likely a nice diversion from all the Super Bowl snacking you might have done.

cod with blood orange and fennel It’s so simple to make, everything goes in one baking dish, the more colors the better! You could use any white fish you like, I bought fresh Alaskan Cod that was on sale at Whole Foods but it would be equally good with sea bass or even halibut.

cod with blood orange and fennel I’ve seen fish cooked with blood orange and fennel before but I thought the addition of yellow peppers, olives, red onions, tomatoes and garlic would pop out the flavors even more, and it did!

baked cod with blood orange and fennel The mild sweetness of the fennel and peppers, the citrus flavor from the oranges, the briny olive taste, the juice from the tomatoes along with the garlic and onions, I promise you’ll be smacking your lips!

baked cod with blood orange and fennel A quick midweek meal or a dish pretty enough to serve to guests!

Baked Cod with Blood Orange and Fennel
 
Ingredients
  • Feel Free To Double Recipe!
  • ½ lb. fresh cod
  • 1 blood orange, peel cut off all around, then sliced
  • 1 bulb of fennel, sliced thin into strips
  • ½ red onion, sliced
  • 1 large yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 3 garlic cloves, shaved
  • handful grape tomatoes, cut in half
  • handful of kalamata olives
  • fennel fronds
  • chopped parsley
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Drizzle oilve oil on the bottom of a shallow baking dish.
  2. Scatter ¾ of the veggies, citrus and olives on top, adding another drizzle of oil all over.
  3. Place fish on top and add remaining vegetables and other all around making sure to place some blood orange slices on top of the fish.
  4. Scatter fresh chopped parsley and fennel fronds all around.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Douse everything again with olive oil!
  7. Bake uncovered at 400 F. for 15 minutes or until fish is done according to thickness and veggies are soft.
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Sicilian Blood Orange Salad

Although I didn’t get these in Sicily, ( I wish I did!!), I’ve been seeing them all over the stores around here. Originally blood oranges came from Sicily, but now they’re popping up all over the US, in fact they’re grown in Texas and California.

They’re in season right now so if you get a chance to try these, please do. Easy to spot with their distinctive dark washes of red on the outside. I love their appearance, and their flavor is great in sweet or savory dishes.

Don’t you just love the color? Look at all that juice coming out!
I decided to use mine in a simple salad. Sliced blood oranges, baby spinach, red onion, crumbled Gorgonzola, and the best extra virgin olive oil you have, season with salt, and freshly ground pepper.
The olive oil mingled with the juice of the orange makes a perfect dressing.
If you haven’t already tried these, grab some while they’re still in season!!
Buon Appetito!!!
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