The opulent-looking blood orange has come back into season, with the citrus fruit expected to be popular with Australians craving gourmet fruit.

Redbelly Citrus co-owner, Vito Mancini said ideal growing conditions had produced an “incredibly succulent” crop with striking red flesh.

“With their unique berry flavour in addition to the usual citrus notes, Redbelly blood oranges are the perfect ingredient to transform an ordinary dish into a gourmet masterpiece and can enhance everything from salads and desserts to alcoholic beverages,” Mr Mancini said.

“This one-of-a-kind fruit has such a distinctive flavour and appearance that they can add an exotic element to dishes and cocktails that very few fruits can.

“It’s wonderful to see Australian’s tastes becoming more sophisticated and Redbelly blood oranges becoming an essential ingredient not only in top restaurants and bars, but also household kitchens,” he said.

Mr Mancini said the gourmet citrus fruit was not only delicious, but incredibly nutritious, having higher levels of vitamin C than traditional orange varieties as well as more antioxidants and health benefits than many of the superfruits.