Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade is so easy, requires no Seville oranges or fancy equipment and is utterly delicious!
I like recipes to be simple and straight forward and had therefore never got round to making marmalade. I had this preconceived notion that you needed muslin and Seville oranges at the very least.
So after a little twitter chat with Sarah Churchill over at The Artisan Kitchen (who makes the most wonderful preserves) I found out that you can make marmalade out of ordinary oranges and not just Sevilles! So that was one hurdle down. Then after a bit of research in my books and on-line I found that you also don’t necessarily need muslin either (kicking myself now)!
I came across lots of complicated recipes for marmalade but if you’re like me and just want to make something really good without having to become a pseudo scientist (and preparing a day ahead) then this Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade recipe is for you. I actually think it can’t go wrong because even if your citrus skins haven’t quite softened enough (gone totally pulpy) it doesn’t matter as you’re not eating the skin but throwing it away.
I have probably just horrified the marmalade makers of the world so if that’s you look away now. But if you’ve never made marmalade before then I think this is the perfect recipe to start with. Once you’ve mastered this you can always get all geeky and try some of the more taxing recipes out.
My whole family loved my Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade which is both sharp and tangy. Both my parents, (who get through copious amounts of marmalade from the local WI) loved it too I’m pleased to say! I made this marmalade fairly soft set and easy to spread as that’s how we all like it in our family and not stiff like a jelly. Having made copious amounts of jam it’s something I’ve learned to gauge at the boiling stage.
Oops, left out the picture with the sieve but you can imagine that one!
I do hope that if you’ve never made orange marmalade before that you will be inspired to make some with my simple and delicious recipe.
I’m entering this orange marmalade into Victoria’s challenge Feel Good Food over at Kick at the Pantry Door where the theme is oranges. Finally I’m entering Ren Behan’s Simple and in Season as it is marmalade making season!
Pin Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade for later!
Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade
Ingredients
- 670 g Oranges I used Jaffa
- 1.59 kg Granulated sugar can be warmed in oven to speed dissolving
- 1.15 ltrs Water
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Wash the fruit in warm water to get rid of the mineral oil coating (I use soapy water with a scouring sponge but I’ve seen you can also use a little vinegar in the water). Then rinse.
- Pierce a hole in the end of the fruit (I used a large metal skewer).
- Place the fruit and water in as small a pan as they will fit and cover with a lid.
Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until soft (about 1 ¾ hrs) and test with a skewer. Do not lift the lid at any point before the end.
- When the fruit is easily pierced take out and place on a plate where you cut it into quarters, remove pips and slice fruit thinly.
- Transfer the hot liquid to a large preserving pan and add the cut up pulp.
- Place a few saucers in the freezer to test for set.
- Bring the liquid and pulp to the boil and then add the sugar, keeping the heat low until the sugar is dissolved (stirring with a wooden spoon).
- Once sugar is dissolved bring to the boil and boil hard for 12 minutes, still stirring.
- Test a few drops on a saucer and put in the fridge for 2 minutes, if it forms a gel like crinkle when pushed it is ready. Otherwise carry on boiling for 3 minutes intervals and re-testing (mine took 15 minutes).
- Remove any scum with a spoon.
- Leave to cool a little then strain the marmalade through a metal sieve in stages squeezing the contents of the sieve with the back of a spoon.
- Use a small ladle to fill hot sterilised jars and seal with lids or wax discs (allow to cool before topping with cellophane disc and rubber band).
- Makes enough for 3 small Kilner jars and 2 large jam jars with a little extra for sampling.
Recipe Notes
To sterilize the jars and lids run through a dishwasher and then warm in oven at 120°C for 20 mins and keep in oven to stay hot until needed.
Rosemary Ogilvie
I like this recipe for simplicity. But I have to ask: you do realise Seville oranges are used for a reason? Unlike ordinary sweet oranges, Sevilles have a sour/bitter taste that gives the marmalade that special edge.
Camilla
Thank you Rosemary. If Sevilles were available all year I’m sure I’d have use them, so that’s why I asked a professional small scale marmalade manufacturer (Sarah or Artisan Kitchen) if one could use normal oranges and she said you could. I think it’s nice to be able to use a more common ingredient when the specialist one isn’t available and in turn share that knowledge. Nothing stopping people using Sevilles in this recipe, it is after all just a starting place and once it enters people’s homes it takes on new life. A mangled requote of Nigel Slater:-)
J brooks
Great find so simple and easy great instructions too fantastic thanks for sharing
Camilla
Thank you so much, so glad you like the recipe:-)
Kenny Corris
First time with Marmalade, but this recipe was easy to follow and tastes wonderful. Having just been given 20 kilos of freshly picked oranges and with lemons growing on the tree outside the house, all I had to buy was the sugar! Thank you.
Camilla
Excellent Kenny, so glad you liked the recipe and that you had success with your first marmalade:-)
Rita Nicoll
Thank you for your advice Camilla, I had done something wrong on hindsight I didn’t add a lemon and on doing g further research I realised the lemon juice is the setting agent, once I had rebooted with the juice of the lemon it has set. And it now have a happy husband thanks again.
Camilla
Aah, great, it’s not easy to trouble shoot on the other end of a computer:-) Glad you figured it out and saved your marmalade and your husband’s taste buds:-)
Rita Nicoll
I I made the marmalade and had to continue boiling for a further 3 minutes and it hasn’t set can you please tell me where I have gone wrong. Thank you my husband is so disappointed as we cannot buy shreddless marmalade here in Spain.
Camilla
Hi Rita, you just keep boiling and testing every 3 minutes, maybe less towards the end until your marmalade forms a crinkle, you don’t stop after 3 extra minutes. So you haven’t done anything wrong. If you’ve potted it up just pop it back in the pan and continue boiling and testing until it’s ready. Good luck!
Janet Matthews
wow What an awesome recipe, so easy you can’t go wrong .
Going to make more than one batch that’s for sure.
Thank you thank you .
Camilla
Yay, so glad you like the recipe, thank you for your feedback:-)
Jan King
Would this recipe convert easily to make a lemon and line shredless marmalade please.
Camilla
I can’t say for sure as I haven’t done that, but the only thing I could think that would be different is that oranges yield more juice than limes weight for weight.
Philippa
I have tried a number of shredless marmalade recipes and none have been very successful – until I found this one! I had to make it over 2 evenings as I have an Aga which tends to run out of enough steam if you use the hottest hob for long periods of time, so I did the 1.75 hours simmering one day and then the remaining 12-15 mins the next. Works really well and I’m very happy! I used slightly less sugar as we like it slightly less sweet and it was still fine and thickened really easily.
Camilla
So happy you like my recipe Philippa, thank you for leaving your feedback it means a lot:-)