25 Bright, Citrus-Forward Recipes to Make All Winter (2024)

When it's cold and gray outside, citrus adds a welcome pop of vibrant color and bright, tangy flavor to a variety of dishes both sweet and savory. We've curated recipes showcasing winter citrus to perk up your senses and make use of the season's tart and sweet peak produce. F&W's best citrus dishes and drinks include citrus salad, a blood orange tart, lemon custard, grapefruit salad, citrus marinades and glazes for meat, a Meyer lemon margarita, and more. Here are our favorite citrusy recipes for winter.

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Frozen Citrus 'Soufflé'

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This no-bake dessert features a silky lemon-poppy seed custard layered with orange-infused whipped cream and tangy lemon curd.

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Puntarelle-Citrus Salad with Roasted Beets

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Puntarelle stays bright and crisp in this salad, while beets bring a tender, earthy sweetness. Puntarelle is a specialty buy — check your local farmers market, or substitute another bitter chicory.

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Roasted Soy-Citrus Chilean Sea Bass

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To make this tender, flaky oven-roasted Chilean sea bass, butter-rubbed fillets are baked in a citrus-forward mixture of freshly juiced oranges, ponzu, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, which infuses the fish with a lovely flavor without overwhelming it.

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Spiced Duck Breasts with Mandarin Oranges and Dates

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In this recipe, the rendered duck fat is used to finish fluffy couscous that’s steamed with orange juice and turmeric, then tossed with dates, almonds, and fresh herbs. Consider it a Moroccan variation on duck a l’orange. The duck is seasoned with ras el hanout, a bold spice blend that complements the full-flavored meat.

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Carrot and Orange Cake with Sour Cream Glaze

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This carrot cake from cookbook author Nik Sharma is something special. "Chopped pieces of dried apricots and candied orange peels give each slice of cake a spot of unexpected fruit sweetness, while the pistachios add texture to the soft cake," he says. "Serve it with a cup of warm tea or coffee to complete the experience."

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Citrus and Fennel Chicken with Olives and Calabrian Chiles

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A mix of citrus, buttery olives, and spicy, oil-packed chiles punches up the flavor of braised chicken leg quarters. Toasted fennel seeds and dry sherry add a pleasant warmth to the sauce, which begs to be served with a baguette for sopping.

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Lemon Curd Tart

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To make a simple topping for this elegant dessert, add two tablespoons granulated sugar to the leftover egg whites and whip to stiff peaks to make a meringue. Garnishing the tart with mixed citrus segments adds a natural sweetness to balance the rich, tart lemon curd filling.

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Salad of Pink Radicchio, Citrus, and Mushroom Bagna Cauda

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In this recipe from Cooking with Mushrooms by Andrea Gentl, melted anchovies and porcini mushroom powder lend a savory depth to nutty brown butter bagna cauda, yielding a powerhouse sauce that's perfect for drizzling on a wintery salad. The sweetness of vibrant Cara Cara oranges mellows the bitter radicchio and adds a pop of color.

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Grilled King Salmon with Meyer Lemon Relish

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Floral and lightly acidic salsa brings out the buttery, rich flavors of grilled King salmon and can be served with grilled lamb, chicken, or pork, too.

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Meyer Lemon Mezcal Margarita

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Mezcal gives this Margarita a smoky flavor, while Makrut lime leaves, ginger, and Meyer lemons add floral, tart notes to each sip.

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Seared Scallops with Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon

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Fresh lemon, orange, and pomegranate juices paired with serrano chile bring heat and fresh, fruity flavor to sweet scallops.

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Grapefruit Vodka Soda

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Letting vodka steep with grapefruit segments — you don't want the bitter pith here — gives you a juicy, fresh grapefruit-infused vodka that retains the fruit's vibrant flavor and needs nothing more than club soda and ice to become a delicious, bone-dry co*cktail.

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Kumquat-Riesling Gummies

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Bright orange kumquats give these gorgeous gummies their all-natural sunny glow and a puckery, sweet-and-sour flavor. To play up the tartness, a citric acid coating adds a burst of sour flavor and a craveable quality.

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Honey Cake with Citrus Frosting

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This tender, light honey cake, laced with hints of coffee and orange juice, is perfect with a cup of tea. The top is adorned with brilliant slices of candied orange, making it almost too pretty to eat.

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Winter Citrus with Frozen Yogurt and Pistachios

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Suzanne Goin, chef at the famed Lucques in Los Angeles, marked 20 years of business in 2018 with a dinner that celebrated her now-classic blend of French cuisine and California produce. This light winter dessert celebrates citrus and dresses it up with browned butter, frozen yogurt, and sbrisolona.

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Flaky Blood Orange Tart

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This stunning yet simple crostata, which uses juicy blood oranges at their peak, is nothing but sweet-tart oranges and a bit of sugar on a flaky, buttery crust.

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Roast Lamb with Orange and Lemon

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Italian chef Antonio Ciminelli infuses roast lamb with orange and lemon zest; the citrusy pan juices make a silky, lightly tart sauce. The seasoned and tied lamb can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

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Roast Chicken with Tangerines

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This six-pound bird yields a lot of meat. But if you want even more, get a capon (a castrated rooster). They're quite huge: nine to 11 pounds. You'll have to increase the amount of ingredients relative to the size of the bird, which will also take longer to cook.

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Chilled Grapefruit-Caramel Meringue Pie

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Most pastry chefs love lemon and orange, but for this recipe Deborah Snyder champions grapefruit. In one cold, creamy dessert, she layers pink grapefruit curd in a crunchy graham cracker crust with caramel cream, caramel sauce, and a delicate topping of fluffy meringue.

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Grilled Shrimp with Oregano and Lemon

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The sauce for this shrimp is a simple version of Italy's salmoriglio, typically made with lemon and herbs in a mortar. The sauce is also delicious spooned over grilled swordfish or any other meaty fish.

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Blood Orange-Pine Nut Agrodolce Sauce

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Chef Jennifer Jasinski combines sweet-tart blood-orange juice with pine nuts and garlic for a quick and delicious sauce that’s great on seared scallops as well as chicken thighs and roast pork.

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Tangy Key Lime Pie

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Based on a recipe from Florida Keys Cooking pamphlet, published in 1946 by Patricia's Notebook newsletter, this pie is not the ordinarily dense and cloyingly sweet version. Folding in beaten egg whites gives it a light, mousse-like texture. The pie needs to chill overnight, so plan accordingly.

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Avocado, Orange, and Jicama Salad

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Feta is a fun, briny addition to this salad's Mexican mix of jicama, avocado, and cilantro.

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Citrus-Marinated Turkey

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In this turkey recipe, chef Jose Garces prepares the bird in the same style as a traditional Yucatán dish called cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork marinated in citrus and annatto paste. Brining and marinating the turkey make it especially succulent.

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Grapefruit Granité with Mangoes and White Rum Mojito

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Unlike traditional granita, which is stirred frequently as it freezes so that light ice flakes form, legendary chef Jacques Pépin freezes his granité in a block until it is completely firm, then softens it in the fridge until it's slightly slushy before scooping it into bowls. The sauce for his light, tropical dessert is a riff on the mojito, the minty co*cktail.

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Scallops in Yellow Curry with Spicy Grapefruit Salad

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This crowd-pleasing dish of sweet sea scallops with a rich curry sauce and refreshing mint-and-grapefruit salad is so flavorful and ready in an hour.

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Meyer Lemon Gnocchi

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For super-tender gnocchi, chef Steve Corry is careful not to overwork the dough. After draining the gnocchi, he sautés them until they're slightly crispy, then tosses them with the lemony sauce. Instead of sprinkling the gnocchi with Parmesan cheese, Corry likes to shave bottarga — dried and salted gray mullet roe — over the top, but the dish is also delicious without it.

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Four-Citrus Salsa

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Juicy bits of orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime form the base of this vibrant salsa. Green olive tapenade and sliced red onion add extra zestiness, which makes this salsa so good on everything from fish to avocado.

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