Flavourful ways to cook with limes
Limes — like their close counterparts, lemons — have numerous culinary uses. They are often used in various recipes with seafood because their acidity tends to work well with all types of seafood. These lemon and lime-based recipes are good examples of how limes tend to bring forth the flavour of prawns, but in a way that doesn’t get overpowered by other strong flavours present in the dish.
Whenever you have a dish that could do with some freshness, tanginess or acidity to balance out sweeter flavours, limes are a go-to option. Take a look at this lemon cheesecake recipe, which demonstrates how you can use the tanginess of citrus to add flavour. Here’s how you can get the best out of cooking with limes.
Tip one: If your recipe calls for fresh lime juice, then roll your limes on a kitchen work surface, gently squeezing them before you juice them. Doing so makes them easier to juice.
Tip two: Marinading meat, like chicken or pork, in lime juice helps tenderise it and make it more succulent when cooked.
Tip three: When limes are underripe, they’re also quite hard to squeeze the juice from. To help overcome this, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds or so.
Tip four: Don’t just use the flesh and juice of limes in cooking but the zest, as well. Grate it finely, and keep it to add as a fresh garnish when plating up.
Tip five: Raw limes can be used to garnish food, too, including side salads served with strong main dishes. You can also add limes into sauces in certain curry recipes and cook them, but remember to fish them out before serving.
