Perfect Seville orange marmalade recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Jam Jelly and Preserves | 265 comments
As the topping for the best slice of toast of the day, good marmalade is a joy. We like it dark, chunky, hand cut and never in moderation.
Marmalade was the first preserve that we made. We were so proud of it that we could hardly bear to move it from the worktop to the larder, let alone eat it. Eventually we opened the first jar and lavished it on slice after slice of hot buttered toast.
We immediately christened it Intellectual Marmalade as so much ground work, research and care had gone into its manufacture. Visitors who spotted the label were wary of it at breakfast. Would it somehow have an effect on the brain? When they saw us slopping it onto our toast they happily did the same. No one ever mentioned the name.
We like dark old fashioned marmalade. We couldn’t find a recipe for this so we based our recipe on the classic Seville Orange Marmalade in Delia’s Complete Illustrated Cookery Course
Marmalade can be a bit of a palaver. It starts with hunting down and bagging the fruit. Despite many forays I couldn’t find any Seville oranges this year. Just as I was about to give up I saw them twinkling out in the Cambridge market on Monday. Investing my small change in three kilos of the fruit, I staggered back to the car park with just enough cash to release Jalopy from the gloomy depths.
Having made no notes on the timings of our Intellectual Marmalade recipe, I couldn’t face another day/night of babysitting the bubbling vats. I was determined to find the best old fashioned marmalade recipe, with proper timings. A couple of days ago I discovered a Dark Chunky Marmalade recipe on Delia Online. It’s made in two steps, so it’s great if you are working full time as you can spread the process over two evenings (I would recommend a spreading the task over a weekend unless your evening starts at 15.00 hours). Seville oranges will survive happily in the fridge for at least a week. They keep for months in the freezer and, if you have the room, you can stash them and make fresh marmalade throughout the year.
We have finally made Delia’s Dark Chunky Marmalade. We combined her recipe with our method and simmered ours for a good six hours before setting point was reached. It looks divine and tastes even better than my mum’s. I’m amazed that Paddington Bear hasn’t dropped by.
N.B. If you try this recipe, the poaching liquid is used in the final marmalade. The recipe isn’t very clear on this point and I found the answer in the DeliaOnline forum (press the Community button on her site to access this great resource). Also you need a very large pot! To stop all the peel rising to the top of the jars let the marmalade cool a little before bottling in sterlised jars.
Update January 14th 2011
We now have several new recipes for Seville orange marmalade to suit every taste:
A super three fruit marmalade. A best seller on our gateside stand.
Easy Seville orange marmalade. This fine shredded marmalade is a classic and gets the thumbs up from my mum and is really easy to make!
Seville orange and quince marmalade. Lots of deep flavours in this orange and quince mix.
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Hello Rachel
A good friend and a trained chef that I know uses an old pillowcase instead of muslin!
Our preserving pan is industrial sized so often I use a very big stock pot instead. If necessary divide up the mixture and do it in two lots – it’s also easier to control this way.
Hi Amy
Thanks for your tips!
Hi Ronald
Apologies for not replying to you more quickly when you initially posted your comment. I work full time and write this blog every day in the evenings, so sometimes I don’t have time to answer all the comments and emails – it takes up most of my free time. But I was delighted with your tip.
This past year I’ve had no time to make any preserves. So we decided to invest in the Lakeland steamer and I softened a batch of oranges for marmalade using it (excellent, by the way). I still have Seville oranges so will try your recipe next week, when there’s a gap. Thank you so much for posting your recipe, very much appreciated.
Hi Trish
Yes. Look here https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=514
Cats do have nine lives.
Hello John
Thanks so much for these tips. I might resort to the food processor for my next batch as there are always unconventional cuts I find.
I have very little marmalade making experience so am often at a loss when people write in when things go wrong so appreciate your support.
However, I’m quite good at developing recipes and we are just finalising our own Seville orange and quince marmalade recipe. It’s a beautiful pinkish orange colour and tastes wonderful. I will be posting the recipe in the next few days although most people won’t be able to try making it until next year.
Hello Mighty Mort
Thanks for all your help and advice. Living out in the sticks it’s easy to miss what’s going on in the world out there.
We bought one of the Lakeland preserving steamers recommended by Ronald and this is a super piece of kit. Old Rolls Royce quality and if it’s still on sale it’s a snip.
Hi Rachel
A good place to get your preserve supplies is good old “Lakeland” either online or take a ride to one of their shops not cheap but quality.
REgards
MM
Rachel, I bought (sorry can’t remember where now) a mesh bag about the size and shape of the bag you get a sliced family loaf in; it might be nylon but it works fine. You could try a home-brew shop.
As as has been said, use whatever you have to hand! (Or avoid the issue, and do the whole fruit method I described on 6th Feb.)
Also, don’t worry about not having seville oranges – check out all the recipes using sweet oranges with grapefruit and lemons (etc)
…and Katie Stewart suggests crushing a tablespoon of coriander seeds in with your pips and pith – it’s good!
The last batch I did I used the dreaded food processor to chop the peel (once cut into 8ths). If you do it moderately, and stop often to mix in the bits which are avoiding the blades, it gives a fair result, and much, much quicker than by hand 🙂
Really? Really, really? It can be saved???!!! Oh Lord, off I go again! Will report back later! 🙂
Hi FN..apologies. I was so disappointed with the response that I gave up watching. here is my method using the steamer.
about 2lbs seville
one large red grapefruit
one large lemon.
4lbs of sugar
Cut fruit in halves, place cut side down in steamer and steam for one and half hours.
Let cool and then spoon out inside of skins and place in saucepan. Add steamed juice from steamer and simmer for half an hour. Sieve juice and pulp and then make up to four pints with cold water. Cut peel into required size. Add to preserving pan with juice and water. heat and add sugar then to rolling boil. Should take ten to fifteen minutes to reach setting point. Jar and enjoy. I have made four lots so far without any issues. Most now in relatives cupboards. If it’s not too late and you have a go, do let us know how you found this method. Ronald.
Hi there
Yes, any large pot will do, just remember you need lots of room to allow it to boil. I sometimes use a cheese cloth that we bought at the grocery store, but have recently moved and misplaced it, so I used a clean old linen kitchen towel instead tonight, which worked just fine. Hope that helped!
Hi folks, really keen to make marmalade, have been trying for years to actually get the oranges always seem to be too early, or too late……but my problem is where do you get the jelly bag or muslin bag from? And what about the preserving pan? Will any large pan do? Any advice for a total novice, most appreciated!! Many thanks
Hi John
Thanks for this.
I’ve just remembered that we have a post – jelly set too hard – that might help Trish if the whole lot hasn’t been tossed at that unfortunate cat. It’s here https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=514
Hello Trish
I do empathise.
We have been making marmalade over the past week and it’s wonderful when it is in the jars but it’s a palaver so if it goes wrong at the last fence it’s a disaster.
You may be able to turn this one round though. John’s idea is good and mine definitely worked with jelly.
Trish! Never say die! As explained above [in a post of mine somewhere] add some hot water to the jar and vent some of your frustration stabbing holes in the marmalade [with a table knife] and give the cat a break! [You’re putting back the water you over-boiled away.] It’ll be fine.
Mighty Mort – I ‘m sorry to abbreviate you; I am a very lazy typist!
Next door’s cat just walked past my kitchen window in full body armour looking rightly nervous. >(