Citrus recipes: Thai salad, Middle Eastern fish and zesty dessert

The humble citrus family are the most versatile of all fruits. Here are three recipes that show them off to their full glory

Fresh, sharp and summery, you can’t go wrong with adding a citrus twist to your cooking no matter what time of year it is. Here are three delicious recipes to get you started.

Coconut, lime and lemongrass chicken salad

In keeping with many Thai dishes, the citrus notes in this salad are sweet and fragrant, with most of the bite coming from the ginger and chilli.

Serves 4

For the chicken

1 tbsp coconut oil
6 boneless chicken thighs or 4 breasts, skin on
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 thin slices of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
3 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves discarded, finely chopped
1 x 400ml tin/1 cup coconut milk
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes
2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded (optional)
1 tbsp fish sauce
Sea salt and crushed white peppercorns
Handfuls of mint, coriander and basil, to serve

For the salad

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
1 large courgette, julienned
100g/11⁄₃ cups cauliflower florets, finely sliced
Small bunch of radishes, finely sliced
Bunch of spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal

For the dressing

Small piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fish sauce

First prepare the chicken. Heat the coconut oil in a large, shallow pan and add the chicken, skin side down. Fry on a medium to high heat until the skin is crisp and brown, then turn over. Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass, then pour the coconut milk around the chicken. Add the lime zest and juice, the lime leaves (if using), and the peppercorns, and season with the fish sauce and some salt. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer, uncovered so the sauce reduces, until the chicken is cooked through, around 15 minutes. Remove the chicken. Strain the sauce and reserve.

To assemble the salad, heat the vegetable oil in a small pan and fry the shallots quite briskly until they are translucent and well browned. Remove to drain on some kitchen paper and set aside. Arrange the raw vegetables over a large plate or platter. Slice or shred the chicken, skin included, and add to the vegetables. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together with 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking sauce, and pour over the salad. Sprinkle with the herbs and the fried shallots.

Spiced sea bass with citrus butter sauce

The spicing here is fragrant rather than hot and has a vaguely Middle Eastern feel to it, so you could simply serve it with rice or couscous instead of the chickpeas and greens if you prefer.

Serves 4

4 sea bass fillets, skin on
1 tbsp olive oil
30g/2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 large orange
100ml/7 tbsp water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the rub

1 tsp flaky sea salt, pounded
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground turmeric

To serve

350g/12oz spring greens, very finely shredded
350g/2 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

Blot the sea bass fillets and lie skin-side down on kitchen paper. Combine all the rub ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the fillets. Press lightly. Before you start frying the fish, cook the spring greens.Wash thoroughly, then put in a large lidded saucepan without shaking off too much water. Cover and heat gently until the greens have wilted down and are just al dente –they should be a fresh, bright green.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. When hot, add the sea bass fillets, skin side down, and fry for a couple of minutes. Flip over and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove from the frying pan and keep warm. Add the butter, garlic, lemon zest and juice and orange juice to the pan. Turn up the heat and let the mixture bubble until you have a glossy, syrupy sauce. Pour into a jug. Deglaze the pan with the water. Add the chickpeas and spring greens and stir to pick up any flavour residue. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the fish with the chickpeas and greens, and the sauce spooned over.

Blackberry, orange and orange blossom clafoutis

If you can source Mandarine Napoleon, use it instead of an orange liqueur as it is so, so much nicer.

Serves 4–6

For the baking dish:

30g/2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp dried orange zest, ground to a powder
2 tbsp demerara sugar

For the blackberries:

300g/2 ¼ cups blackberries
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp creme de mure

For the batter:

50g/6 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour
50g/¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar
A pinch of salt
​200ml/¾ cup plus 1 tbsp whole milk
​50ml/3 ½ tbsp single cream
30g/1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp finely grated orange zest and juice of ½ orange
1 tsp orange blossom water
2 tsp Grand Marnier, or ideally Mandarine Napoleon (optional)
2 eggs

To serve:

1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp dried orange zest, ground to a powder
Pouring cream

Put the blackberries in a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar and creme de mure. Leave to stand for an hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Spread the butter over the base of a shallow ovenproof dish (between 21 and 23cm/8. and 9-in diameter). Mix the orange zest and demerara sugar together and sprinkle this over the butter. Make sure the dish is evenly covered.

Put the flour in a mixing bowl with the caster sugar and salt. Give a quick whisk to get rid of any lumps. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, cream, melted butter, orange zest and juice, orange blossom water and liqueur, if using. Make a well in the middle of the flour and sugar, then break in the eggs. Using a whisk, work in the flour, incorporating from the edge of the well, until you have a thick paste, then gradually incorporate the wet ingredients (you can instead put everything in a food processer and blend).

Spoon the blackberries into the prepared dish, straining them a little as you go, and making sure they are evenly spread. Pour over the batter and bake in the oven for around 25-30 minutes until slightly puffed up and a light golden brown – it should still be slightly wobbly in the middle. Mix the icing sugar and orange zest together. Let the clafoutis cool a little, then sprinkle over the sugar and zest mixture. Serve with pouring cream.

​​CITRUS​: Recipes that celebrate the sour and the sweet by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille, £20.00) Photography: Mowie Kay