A jar of marmalade is sugar, cooked citrus peel and pectin, and those three things do a lot of work in a kitchen. The sugar caramelizes into a glaze, the peel brings the bitterness and perfume of zest, and the pectin thickens a sauce as it reduces. So the jar can stand in for honey, brown sugar, orange juice and zest, often all at once.
Here is every way we've used it so far, sorted by meal. Each link goes to a full recipe.
Glazes for dinner
- Sticky marmalade chicken wings: baked crisp on a rack at 425°F, then tossed in a marmalade and soy glaze.
- Orange chicken with marmalade: marmalade replaces the juice, zest and sugar in the sauce.
- Glazed salmon: cooked under the broiler, with Meyer Lemon Marmalade in place of honey.
- Duck breast with orange sauce: marmalade replaces the caramel-and-vinegar base of a classic orange sauce.
- Orange glazed carrots: a one-pan side, with marmalade instead of brown sugar.
Salads and dressings
- Marmalade vinaigrette: five minutes in a jar, with marmalade in place of honey.
- Winter citrus salad: several kinds of citrus over fennel and bitter leaves.
Pies, cakes and cookies
- Apple pie with marmalade: marmalade in the filling and brushed over the hot crust, an idea from Eliza Smith's 18th-century cookbook.
- Meyer lemon olive oil cake: marmalade in the batter and as the glaze.
- Marmalade thumbprint cookies and Linzer cookies: two holiday cookies that swap the jam for marmalade.
Breakfast
- Sourdough discard pancakes: served with marmalade butter instead of syrup.
- Sourdough cinnamon rolls: marmalade goes in the filling and replaces the orange icing.
- The Paddington marmalade sandwich: buttered bread and orange marmalade, ready in five minutes.
For a crowd
- Baked brie with marmalade: an 8 oz wheel at 350°F, with the jar matched to the nuts and herbs.
- Holiday cooking with marmalade: recipes from shortbread thumbprints to a glazed ham.
In a glass
- Marmalade old fashioned: a bar spoon of marmalade replaces the sugar cube and peel.
- Marmalade whiskey sour: 2 teaspoons of lemon marmalade instead of syrup.
- Marmalade hot toddy: lemon marmalade stands in for the honey and most of the lemon.
Which marmalade for which job?
| If you're making… | Reach for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Savory glazes for wings, chicken and ham | Navel Orange or Mandarin | Navel is the classic California orange, with honey, warm spice and a bright, rounded finish. Mandarin is our most aromatic jar, floral and honeyed, and a natural with roasted pork. |
| Fish, dressings and cocktails | Eureka Lemon or Meyer Lemon | Eureka is clean lemon with low acidity, like a lemon drop, so it brightens without a sharp bite. Meyer is fuller and more herbal, with a mandarin note: the lemon marmalade for cooks. |
| Cheese boards and bitter-leaf salads | Duncan or Melogold Grapefruit | Duncan is bold and lightly tannic, balancing brightness and bitterness, so it stands up to rich cheese. Melogold is the gentler grapefruit, smooth with a blackberry note, for anyone who wants less bitterness. |
| Cookies, cakes and breakfast | Mandarin, Minneola Tangelo or Valencia Orange | Mandarin's honeyed, floral sweetness suits baking. Minneola starts bright and finishes darker, with hints of allspice and papaya, adding depth to scones, toast and tea. Valencia is our sweetest marmalade, lush and honeyed with a hint of mango, for pancakes, yogurt and croissants. |
Three swaps to remember
- For honey in a glaze: use about ¾ cup of marmalade where a recipe calls for about ½ cup of honey, chop any long shreds of peel, and simmer until it coats a spoon, as in our wings recipe.
- For jam in cookies: our thumbprints and Linzer cookies use marmalade in place of jam. Chop the peel so it spreads evenly.
- For sugar or syrup in a drink: dissolve the marmalade first, as in our whiskey sour.
How long will the jar last?
Our guide to whether marmalade goes bad covers how long a jar keeps, opened and unopened, and the signs that it has spoiled.
We'll keep adding recipes here through the holidays. Browse the marmalades.
