Do you really need key limes for key lime pie?! How can you get a lime-y flavor without so much sour!? What does that brown golf ball one actually taste like?
There are several varieties of lime—from sweet to puckery to musky—and knowing how they taste and when to use each will level up your cooking (and perhaps, add a little unexpected inspiration!) Plus, one of these special lime varieties is Ottolenghi’s favorite ingredients, so we’re in good company, friends!
Scroll down for the full rundown!
(From Left to Right: Dried Lime, Key Lime, Persian Lime)
Persian Limes (this is what you’re used to buying at the grocery store)
What do they look like? Persian limes have a thick bright green skin and are also called “Seedless Limes” “Tahiti Limes”.
What do they taste like? These limes are large and more tart and acidic than key limes.
Where do they come from? These are most commonly a hybrid of key lime and lemon (hence the lime flavor combined with the sour)!
Our favorite ways to use them? Anything that needs a tart, acidic punch! Margaritas or squeezed atop tacos!
Key Limes
What do they look like? They’re small, round, and seedy with a thin yellowish skin and also go by “bartender’s lime” “West Indian lime” or “Mexican lime”.
What do they taste like? Limey but less acidic and a little sweeter than Persian limes
Where do they come from? These once were commercially grown in the Florida Keys and Gulf Coast but following hurricane devastation are now imported from Central and South America.
Our favorite ways to use them? Anytime you want lime flavor but without the sour, like key lime pie! (Stores like Whole Foods will carry Key Lime juice, like this, which of course isn’t a perfect substitute for the real deal, but it gets pretty darn close.) Try the juice with lime curd or vinaigrette, too!
Dried Limes (one of Ottolenghi’s favorite ingredients!)
What do they look like? These are dried and brown, about the size of a golf ball.
What do they taste like? Dried limes are boiled in a salt brine then left to dry until rock hard. They have a musky, sour aroma (a great substitute for sumac). A little goes a long way and these dried limes will last you a lifetime!
Where do they come from? Dried limes are popular in Iran, Iraq and cultures of the Persian Gulf. They’re not easily found in mainstream markets, but check a local Middle Eastern Market if you want to try! (For those in the Bay area, this is our favorite in Berkeley!)
Our favorite ways to use them? You can use a spice grinder to transform them into a powder (for salads, or rice), but our favorite use is to drop one whole dried lime into soups and stews (pierce it first with a fork before adding to soup, then let simmer and remove before serving!) I added a dried lime to a pumpkin soup I made last fall and it added the most interesting what-is-in-this-soup flavor!