Sour orange bargain

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In Cuba and Puerto Rico, the traditional citrus for pork or fish marinades is the sour orange, also known as the bitter or Seville orange. It also shows up in other Caribbean dishes such as the Yucatecan cochinita pibil.

This particular fruit is hard to get locally, so around here cooks generally substitute a mixture of citrus juices or use bottled sour orange juice (naranja agria). La Lechonera brand sour orange juice is available at various places on the Web at prices ranging from $2.50 to $2.99 plus shipping, but it’s only $2 at San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles.

Once you get your hands on a bottle, you can make a punchy Cuban mojo marinade -- crush half a dozen garlic cloves and add to 3/4 cup of the juice along with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper and oregano to taste. Take any cut of pork suitable for roasting -- say, an uncured ham or fresh shoulder -- and marinate it in this for 2 to 3 hours before cooking. Works with fish too, though you might want to scale down the quantities.

La Lechonera Naranja Agría, 11 ounces, $2, San Antonio Winery, 737 Lamar St., Los Angeles, (323) 223-1401.

-- Charles Perry

Photo by Charles Perry