12 Unique Marmalade Recipes (Orange, Lemon, Lime & More) - Citrus Spot (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak oranges overnight for marmalade? ›

Leave to soak overnight. This helps to extract the maximum amount of pectin from the fruit pulp, which will give a better set.

Lemons contain a very high amount of pectin, which naturally sets and thickens the marmalade. If your marmalade is too thick for your liking after it cools, then it's likely that too much water evaporated as it simmered, and you can just add a bit more water for a more spoonable consistency.

Jane Maggs said that most standard marmalade recipes adopted a rule of thumb by which for every 1lb fruit, 2 pints water and 2lb sugar were required. If half the water boils away then you're left with 1lb fruit and 1 pint water which is matched to 2lb sugar giving approximately a 50:50 ratio.

Once the citrus peel is boiled, the pectin is leached into the cooking liquid. This cooking liquid now contains all the pectin you need to set your marmalade and acts as a conduit to dissolve the sugar you need to add to sweeten it properly. Without pectin, you'd just have orange-flavored syrup.

Baking soda is slightly alkaline and helps to break down the peels, shortening the time it takes to cook and soften them. You do not have to use it to make good marmalade, but it helps shorten the cooking process.

Otherwise, you may overcook your marmalade. Don't let the marmalade turn brown: If the marmalade is turning brown while you are cooking it, you are likely overcooking it and the sugars are beginning to caramelize.

I always make small batches of marmalade, using 675g of fruit. Once the sugar is dissolved, a boil to a set takes an average of 5-7 minutes.

Don't overcook your marmalade

Lady Claire Macdonald, food writer: While you're testing your marmalade to see if it's set, take it off the boil. Otherwise you risk boiling away the water content, and ending up with a dark, over-thick marmalade that's dry and rubbery.

Citrus is the most typical choice of fruit for marmalade, though historically the term has often been used for non-citrus preserves. One popular citrus fruit used in marmalade production is the bitter orange, Citrus aurantium var.

Each batch is slightly different. White sugars give a clean taste and bright, iridescent orange marmalade while light or dark palm sugars deepen the colour and enrich the flavour.

How do you thicken homemade orange marmalade? ›

You simply spoon a little of the peel and cooking liquid onto a frozen plate, then return it to the freezer for 2 minutes. Take the plate out and push your finger through the liquid part. If it “wrinkles” and looks like, well, set jelly, you know the marmalade is ready.

The difference between each depends on how much fruit is left in the final product and the finished consistency. Jam is made from whole or cut up pieces of fruit with sugar. Jelly is made from only the fruit juice and sugar. Marmalade is preserves made with citrus—using the whole fruit, along with the rind.

Yes, removing pith reduces bitterness. Another method, much easier than carefully peeling all your fruit, is to just slice it up as normal, then soak in cold water overnight - then discard the water the next day and proceed with the recipe.

If the contents are not reduced sufficiently, too much water will be left in the pan and that will affect the set. With excess water, a long boil will follow after the sugar is added and the set will be elusive.

Use Valencia oranges if you can find them – if not, regular navel oranges are fine too. The main secret in producing a sweet (instead of bitter) marmalade is to reduce the amount of white pith, seeds, and membranes.