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AJC / Kimberly Smith

Perhaps you’ve been tweaking a favorite recipe, and it just isn’t coming together. Know what it needs to get that extra oomph, that special kick? Lemon juice. Juicy bits of orange. A slice or two of grapefruit. Maybe a squeeze of perky Key lime.

Winter has but one silver lining to its bleakness — sunny citrus fruits are at the height of season this time of year. And in addition to all that vitamin C, oranges, lemons, grapefruits and tangerines are perfect for pepping up — or taking center stage in — the season’s best recipes.

Don’t know your ugli from your satsuma? Here’s the 411 on some of citrus’ brightest stars.

Ugli

This funky fruit, considered a tangelo, comes from Jamaica. It has a weird, wrinkled yellow-to-green skin and tart, deep-yellow flesh. Use it like you would a grapefruit, and use it now , at the peak of its season.

Blood orange

Most of the blood oranges sold in U.S. markets are Moro oranges, grown in California. Other varieties of this crimson beauty are grown in Italy and Spain.

Smaller and slightly more acidic than regular oranges, the bright red-orange color of this fruit’s flesh makes it perfect for salads, and its high acidity makes it a good orange for cooking — perhaps two reasons it’s so popular with chefs. Look for them from December through May.

Clementine

A member of the mandarin orange family, clementines have a bright-orange peel that easily slips off. Mostly cultivated in Spain or North Africa, the fruit’s sweet flavor is perfect for eating out of hand or tossing into vegetable and fruit salads. Look for them in early December through February.

Key lime

Key limes, rarely referred to as Mexican limes, are grown in tropical regions and, yes, the name refers to the Florida Keys. Tiny in comparison to the more common Persian lime, they also have thinner skin and a tart, perky flavor that gives recipes a special punch. The more yellow their skin, the riper they are. Unlike most citrus, these green goodies peak in the summer months but are available throughout the year.

Lemon

Probably a cross of ancient citron and mandarin, lemons have been around for hundreds of years. Their bright zest gives flavor and color to lots of baked goods and sauces, and the juice is used to flavor everything from salad dressing to skate fish. But don’t eat them out of hand unless you want to pucker: They have a high level of acidity. Lemons are available year-round.

Lime

Most of the limes sold in the United States are Persian limes. They are lemon-shaped with a bright green color and porous skin. They have a tart flavor, but less so than a lemon or Key lime. Use their juice in cocktail recipes, vinaigrettes and juice drinks. Like Key limes, Persian limes peak during the summer months but are available year-round.

Meyer lemon

Believed to be a cross between a lemon and an orange, this lemon-like citrus gets its name from the American botanist, Frank Meyer, who discovered it in China at the beginning of the 1900s. These fruits are sweeter, smoother-skinned and rounder than regular lemons, with a peppery fragrance and orange hue to both skin and flesh. Substitute them for regular lemons in any recipe, and find them at their best between December and April.

Navel orange

Cultivated mostly in California and Florida, navel oranges have bright orange skins with a porous texture and are the perfect orange for eating out of hand — especially since they are seedless. Use them fresh in recipes, too, especially salads and fresh fruit drinks and smoothies, or sauté them to brighten up a cream sauce. Navel oranges peak in January, February and March, so get some now.

Pink grapefruit

Grown mainly in Florida, California and Texas, these pretty fruits have rose-blushed skins surrounding pink flesh. Many will argue that they are sweeter than white grapefruit, but experts have no proof of that. Eat them out of hand or use them fresh in salads and juices. Their rosy hue and tart flavor make them lovely in granita or sorbet. They’re at their best from October through May.

Pomelo

Also known as Chinese grapefruit, these giant citrus are originally from Malaysia. They are generally much larger than grapefruit, with a thicker skin and pith and, because of their size, more flesh. Their light yellow skins give way to yellow to coral-pink flesh that can sometimes be drier than a grapefruit’s. Use them fresh in salads, or slice them in half and eat out of hand. Look for pomelos from December through May.

Red grapefruit

The most popular varieties of these vivid pink pretties are Ruby Red and Rio Red, the latter developed in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. They are sweeter and juicier than white or pink grapefruits and the most prized of the three. Peel and eat them like an orange, use them in salads or granita or broil them with a sprinkle of sugar for a morning treat. Their sweetness peaks from November through March.

Satsuma

These tangerines (mandarins) are starting to show up in the produce sections of supermarkets, though they are better known to shoppers as the tangerine inside the can of mandarin oranges. Easy to peel and usually seedless, they can be less sweeter than other tangerines. Eat them out of hand or try them in pork or chicken recipes. Most mandarin varieties are best from December through April.

Tangerine

Another variety of mandarin orange, this is the most commonly found type in the United States. Its easy-to-peel bright orange skin reveals sweet orange-colored segments that are perfect for eating out of hand.

Valencia orange

This variety of orange originated in the Mediterranean, has a thinner skin than the navel orange and is easy to peel. Its pulpy sweetness makes it the best orange for juicing. The Valencia is at its peak from February to October.

White grapefruit

Like the pink grapefruit, this citrus has a yellow skin but light yellow — not pink — flesh. It is tart and juicy, just the right combination for salads and fresh fruit cocktails. They’re best October to May.

>CITRUS TRIFLE