Seville Orange Marmalade
approx 7 or 8 500ml jars
1kg Seville oranges
2 litres water approx
2kg sugar
Juice of 3 lemons
To ensure your marmalade sets well, it is important to take the time to soak the fruit as detailed below. Soaking of the fruit and pips helps release the pectin in the fruit. Pectin is the setting agent. Seville oranges are high in pectin, adding lemon juice, which is very high in pectin, is a bit of a belt and braces step.
Do not be tempted to double this recipe. Rather make two batches. After many years of making preserves in large quantities, I have found that setting is much more successful if made in smaller quantities.
- Give your oranges a good clean (scrub if necessary)
- Cut in half and squeeze. Place the juice in a preserving pan (non aluminium) which will be large enough for all the ingredients.
- Collect the pips and place in a small bowl, cover them with water, cover and set aside.
- Slice the peel (including any flesh) into slices, thin or thick, depending on your preference. Try to make sure that however you cut the peel, the thickness is consistent.
- Place the sliced peel into the preserving pan and cover with water. Cover pan.
- The next day, place the water that the pips were soaking in into the preserving pan. It may be a little jelly like – this is pectin. Tie the pips firmly in some muslim. Add this to the preserving pan.
- Ensure the peel is covered with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the peel is soft when squashed between your fingers. It should be as soft as you like the peel in your marmalade. As soon as sugar is added the peel will not soften any further.
- When the peel is soft, strain off the liquid and measure. You need 2 litres of liquid in total. If you have less, top it up with water. If you have more, gently simmer the liquid until you have 2 litres.
- In your preserving pan you now want the peel, sugar, 2 litres of liquid, juice from the lemons and squeezed out liquid from the pips in muslim. Squeeze out as much as you can.
- Bring this to the boil and boil until setting point is achieved. If any white froth collects, skim it off.
- Bottle.
Some preserves benefit from keeping. marmalade is ready for your toast the next day. Enjoy.
If you fancy adding ginger add some chopped fresh ginger when you boil the peel with water.
Substituting half the Sevilles for blood orange works really well, giving a bitter sweet almost fragrant flavour and beautiful colour.
If you fancy adding alcohol, add this once setting point has been achieved. Stir it in, let it it steam a bit before bottling – obviously don’t add too much as this will affect the setting.