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These Whole30 Citrus Glazed Turnips are one of my favorite side dishes to serve alongside any and all seafood recipes. Cod, shrimp, salmon, trout, they’ll all work nicely with these sweet and sticky roasted turnips.
Turnips deserve more love!
Have you had some bad experiences with turnips in the past? Tasted a few sulfurous bites bites and decided turnips aren’t for you? Well, I’m here to change that.
Young roasted turnips are sweet and earthy, similar in a way to carrots. Mature turnips can have some background bitterness, but don’t let that scare you; roasting the turnips will tame that flavor and prevent it from becoming overwhelming. And this sticky citrus glaze will totally transform the roasted turnips into something utterly craveable.
Farmers Market Ingredients and Substitutions
Turnips
The best choices for this recipe are baby turnips or Hakurei turnips, as they’ve got the mildest flavor and you won’t need to peel the skin. If your turnips have thicker skin, you will need to peel them.
This technique for roasting and glazing turnips works for other root vegetables too! Use whatever you’re able to find at the farmers market.
Oranges
Oranges are naturally very sweet, and the juice reduces down to form a beautiful, sticky glaze. Any sort of sweet orange will work in this recipe, including blood oranges if you can find them. Oh, and feel free to mix and match the citrus here. It’ll all work together.
The key, though, is that you want fresh orange juice. Don’t use the leftover boxed juice you had for breakfast this morning; it won’t be the same.
Tips and Tricks
Be patient while the glaze reduces, and keep stirring. It takes longer than you think for the glaze to thicken, but you also don’t want to leave it unattended. Let it reduce slowly so that the sugars in the orange juice don’t burn and create a sticky mess on the bottom of your sauce pot.
Serving Suggestions
These citrus-glazed turnips are the perfect side dish for any sort of seafood. I highly recommend pairing these with a baked cod or other white fish, as the delicate flavors of the fish pair nicely with the sweet and tangy orange glaze.
Seafood Pairing Recommendations
Whole30 Baked Cod: Use my recipe here as a starting off point – roast the turnips ahead of the cod, as they’ll take longer to brown than the fish. The orange glaze can be reduced and poured over the turnips while the cod finishes in the oven.
Baked Lemon Shrimp: You’ll only use the juice of half a lemon in the citrus glaze, so Cooking for Keeps’ recipe for Baked Lemon Shrimp is a great way to prevent food waste. As an added bonus, you can use any herbs you want in both the shrimp and the turnips for some added flavor.
Whole30 Salmon Cakes: Here’s another great pairing for my Whole30 Citrus Glazed Turnips.
But what about the leftovers?
Leftover Whole30 Citrus Glazed Turnips can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat by warming on the stove; a few teaspoons of water can be added to keep the citrus glaze at the correct consistency. I haven’t tried freezing these turnips, so I can’t comment if that will change the consistency of the vegetables too much.
Whole30 Citrus Glazed Turnips
These Whole30 Citrus Glazed Turnips are one of my favorite side dishes to serve alongside any and all seafood recipes. Cod, shrimp, salmon, trout, they'll all work nicely with these sweet and sticky roasted turnips.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch baby turnips, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1½ tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp ghee
- Juice of 1 orange, about ⅓ cup
- Juice of ½ lemon, about 1½ tbsp
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Toss turnips in the avocado oil, then spread onto a sheet pan, keeping the turnips in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown.
- While the turnips are roasting, make the citrus glaze. Combine the ghee, orange juice, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low while stirring constantly until the sauce reduces in half. Stir in crushed red pepper flakes and salt to the glaze.
- Toss turnips with the citrus glaze and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 387Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 446mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 4gSugar: 37gProtein: 2g
Calculated nutrition values are not always accurate, but can provide a general idea for planning purposes. Please do not rely on this information as it may not be complete. Recipes that include unusual ingredients, especially scrap ingredients, will have the least accurate information with this calculator.
