Clementines/Satsumas and Substitutes

Asked by Cookin Cait. Answered on 13th November 2010

Full question

I have found a few of Nigella's recipes that use Clementines/Satsumas and i have been unable to find these in Australia, is it possible to use mandarins or oranges instead? Thankyou

Our answer

Clementines are a seedless variety of the mandarin and they are both in the orange citrus family. It is absolutely fine to substitute other orange family fruits for clementines/satsumas. If using oranges then you may only want to use about 3/4 of the juice or zest of a regular orange, as it tends to be larger in size than a clementine but use all of the zest from a clementine or mandarin if necessary.

If you are grating the zest of citrus fruits then try if possible to buy organic, unwaxed fruits. Many citrus fruits are coated in a thin layer of wax to protect them during transit. If you want to grate the zest then first wash the fruits in hot, soapy water and give the skin bit of a scrub too. This will help to remove some of the wax. Dry the skin thoroughly before zesting Microplane-type graters are particularly good for grating zest from citrus fruits.