More with Kumquats!
Hi, all. I’ve just gone crazy with the kumquats! The Chinese market still had them, so I just had to buy more. This time, I made kumquat salsa (different from the Cranberry-Kumquat Salsa) and kumquat marmalade.
And salsa! So read on to see how that all went…
The marmalade took me about 4 hours to make. Not that it was that complicated but it was time consuming. First you have to separate the pulp from the skins. Again, not difficult but they’re so small and you have to do so many of them that it takes a while. Here’s a picture of what I had going on. 
The pulp went into the little bowl perched on the cutting board while the skins went into the pot on the right.
Then, I had to cook the skins, changing out the water a few times after each boil. This supposedly eliminates the bitterness.
When they’re soft, they get minced.
Meanwhile, the pulp gets cooked, strained and combined with some water from the skins and sugar and everything gets boiled down until thick.
The salsa, on the other hand, was so simple and the result is so beautiful. Check out these photos:
The recipe I found for this salsa called for red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper, which I have never seen used in a salsa recipe. So, I tweaked it a little. Here’s my version of Kumquat Salsa. Use it as a topping or with tortilla chips. Let me know if anyone gives it a whirl. Enjoy!
Kumquat Salsa
3 cups kumquats, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
2 or 3 dried chile de arbol, crushed (or other chile pepper of your choice, fresh or dried)
Kosher salt to taste
Combine all ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. Let sit for an hour to allow the flavors to blend.
Makes about 3 cups.
Hey Bobi
Sammi says the salsa looks really good and she’ll be making it this summer. I love the pictures, and I’ll let you know how her salsa comes out.
Those kumquats are really gorgeous. Do they taste citrus-y? (I’ve never had one.)
Well how did the marmalade turn out?
Thanks, Deej, but I can’t take credit for the beauty of the kumquats.
Hey, Fran. Yes, they are citrus-y. In fact, they taste rather like mandarins, but slightly different. As I said, they can be really sweet or really tart, depending on the batch you get. Mine was quite tart. But…(see response to Deb’s question).
Despite the kumquats being tart, the marmalade came out sweet and delicious! But I was careful about the amount of sugar I added so it’s not cloyingly sweet. I think it’s just right. Considering I’ve never made marmalade before, I’m quite proud of myself!