Seville Sour Orange

What a delight to discover something new at the market! The other day Barnaby went down to Uwajimaya and stumbled upon a new fruit (to us at least): the Seville sour orange, also known simply as a sour or bitter orange. Brought to Spain by the Moors, this citrus is remarkably flavorful and fragrant, and possesses a deep orange color in both flesh and rind. I would say the Seville Sour is to oranges, as yuzu is to lemons.  It's medium sized, kind of squat in shape and is very acidic. Almost to the point where you think it's too bitter, but then the flavors - and the heavens - open up and it becomes <sigh > perfection.

We decided to use our orange in a Cuban mojo, a marinade that's made with equal parts of sour orange and olive oil, along with garlic and onion. First, in about two tablespoons of olive oil we sweated a large clove of pressed garlic and diced onion, then we added equal parts of Seville sour juice. We grated in a bit of the zest, then brought it to a simmer. We served it drizzled over grilled halibut and rice. If you want fancy-schmancy recipe try this tasty sounding one for a classic Cuban Mojo Sauce from Taste of Cuba.