How to segment citrus fruit

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There’s a knack to separating the fruit from the pith, then releasing the individual segments without wasting any of the precious flesh or juice. You’ll need a juicy fruit such as an orange or grapefruit, a sharp knife and a bowl.

Find recipes to use with your citrus fruit on this page, too.

It’s best to use a small serrated knife. Slice the top and bottom off the orange and place it upright on a solid work surface. Slice off the peel in strips, cutting downwards and following the curved shape of the orange. Try to cut off as much of the pith as you can.
Carefully tidy up the orange, slicing off any obvious remaining bits of pith so you’re left with a clean fruit.
To segment it, hold the peeled fruit in your palm. With the knife in the other hand, carefully make two cuts just inside the two membrane walls of each segment, then flip the released slice of fruit into a bowl below. This way you won’t waste any of the lovely juice.
Rotate the orange as you go until all the segments have been removed and you’re left with just the flaps of membrane. Squeeze this over the bowl to release all the juices.
You’ll be left with a bowl of juicy pith-free segments.