Citrus and Seafood — Classic Combination

January is National Citrus Month, and citrus and seafood is the perfect match. For oily fish like salmon, swordfish, tuna, and sablefish, a squirt of lemon or lime balances the richness and gives your tastebuds a break from all that luscious fat. For lean fish like halibut or cod, a drizzle of citrus juice and heart-healthy olive oil can feel luxurious.

Whether you serve lemon wedges alongside, or make a tart, lemony pan sauce or aioli, here are a few winning combinations to get you started.

Piccata is an Italian preparation of fish, meat, or fowl, dredged in flour, then pan-fried and served with a tart, lemony pan sauce. It’s delicious with lean white fish like pacific cod or oily fish like sockeye salmon.

Stir fresh lemon juice into seafood broth for a mouth-puckering treat as in this Greek-inspired Lemony Orzo Soup with Salmon Meatballs. Add lemon juice to a marinade and dressing in this classic Italian tuna with Salmoriglio sauce recipe.

A fussy, but totally worth-the-effort technique for preparing citrus, is to cut them into supremes. It’s a French term that refers to cutting the citrus into segments for a more enjoyable eating experience. Here’s how to do it. Using a sharp knife, cut away the rind and bitter white pith. Then working over a bowl, cut between the membranes and release the juicy, tender segments.

Serve the citrus segments in salads like this seared tuna with blood oranges and fennel or garnish roasted king salmon with a tangy, chunky lime salsa.

If you’re in a rush and don’t mind the texture of the membranes, simply peel and slice the orange crosswise and toss it with spinach and salmon in this refreshing salad

Bake, roast, or sauté citrus slices directly with the fish. The halibut in these parchment packets are topped with lemon slices and herbs that infuse the fish with flavor as it bakes in the oven.

You can build a pan sauce with sautéed lemon slices, white wine, and herbs, as in this pan-seared halibut. Moroccan-spiced salmon sits atop lemon slices as it bakes. The roasted lemon slices add a delightful tartness to the carrots and are entirely edible if you choose. Toss them with the carrots before serving — you’ll be glad you did!

When added to raw seafood, as in this tuna ceviche, the acid in the citrus (citric acid) denatures the proteins as it marinates, giving the fish a cooked texture and appearance. The longer the fish marinates, the more opaque and firm the flesh becomes. Aguachile (chile-water) is a Mexican ceviche typically using shrimp, lots of chiles, lime, and a bit of water.