Deep-Fried Citrus Slices
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Servings:
Ingredients
  • 2–3 citrus fruits (a variety is good)
  • 7 tablespoon buttermilk
  • generous 1/2 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1 tablespoon semolina or fine cornmeal
  • a neutral-tasting oil, such as groundnut or sunflower, for deep-frying
  • pinch of smoked chilli (chipotle) or hot smoked paprika (for lime slices) to serve
  • pinch of herbes de provence or za’atar (for orange slices) to serve
  • pinch of fennel pollen or sumac (for lemon slices) to serve
  • generous 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
  • a pinch of sugar
  • a squeeze of lemon juice
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Top and tail the citrus fruit to the point where you get a good showing of flesh as opposed to pith and skin.
  2. Slice the fruit as finely as possible while keeping each slice intact, removing any pips.
  3. Put the buttermilk in a bowl.
  4. Put the flour and semolina onto a plate and season with salt and pepper, then whisk briefly to combine and get rid of any lumps.
  5. Dip the citrus slices in the buttermilk and shake or lightly scrape them to get rid of any excess.
  6. Drop the slices onto the flour mixture and give the plate a little shake.
  7. Flip over and repeat.
  8. Dust off any excess — you don’t want a thick coating as you want to see the detail from the citrus through the batter.
  9. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a heavy-based saucepan or fryer to about 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).
  10. Fry the slices a few at a time — when they start to go golden brown remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
  11. The slices will continue to brown once they are removed and will be nicely caramelized in patches.
  12. Sprinkle with salt, then the corresponding spices and/or herbs for each fruit and serve with yogurt dip, if you like.
  13. If serving with the dip, make this first — simply mix ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
  14. Adapted from Citrus by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille, 2017, RRP $29.99 hardcover)