Limes are an essential ingredient in many cuisines. Kylee Newton shares some top tips for getting the most out of the zesty, zingy, delicious fruit.
Limes have finally come into season and the price has plummeted. Or, if you are lucky, you may have a tree in your back yard that you have been carefully cultivating, which has started to offer the fruits of your labour.
Limes are used in many fascinating cuisines around the globe, in sweet and savoury dishes alike. They are a wonderful ingredient to use when discovering an array of international flavours. To celebrate lime season you can make all sorts of luscious delights, from lime sorbet to key lime pie, limeade or zesty lime dressings or mayonnaises. Think Malaysian, Indian or Mexican, for inspiration on how to add them to your culinary repertoire. I like to capture this sweet, yet sour and tangy, citrus in a jar to enjoy in later months.
Lime is often a friendly companion to the spicy flavour of chilli, so I wanted to create a lime marmalade that had this heat attached so you could sweetly spice up dishes when making a glaze - perhaps for grilled Malaysian prawns, to accompany your favourite Indian curry, or in a spicy lime margarita to entertain friends at a Mexican-themed dinner.
Kylee's top tip: Waste not, want not
Instead of discarding your lime skins into the compost bin, why not make lime sugar for your batched cocktails, as my husband does. Get as much pith off as you can, add the peel to a jar with half their weight in sugar, give a good shake and leave for 24 hours. Strain and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Add to cocktails like cosmopolitans and frozen daiquiris.
Lime & chilli marmalade
Makes 4-5 jars
Ingredients
1kg limes, unwaxed
750ml water
30ml lemon juice
¾-1 tsp chilli flakes
750g white sugar, or preserving sugar
Directions
1. Place several small saucers in the freezer. Sterilise your jars and lids by washing and rinsing them in hot water, then place them into a warm oven at 100C for at least 20 mins.
2. With a sharp knife carefully remove the skins from three-quarters of the limes, and chop the flesh into 5-8mm chunks, discarding the skins and any pips, pith, and membrane. Cut the remaining limes lengthways, then slice very fine (1-2mm) semi-circles cut side down. Scrape all the cut limes into a large heavy-based pan, big enough for the mixture to double in size, along with any juice collected on your chopping board.
3. Cover with the water, add the lemon juice and bring to a rapid boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, stirring intermittently for about 15 minutes to soften the skins. Mix your chilli flakes through the sugar.
4. Stir the chilli sugar through the lime mixture until completely dissolved and bring back to a rapid boil on the highest heat. Watch the pan as at times it may threaten to boil over.
5. After about 10-20 minutes of rapid boiling do a wrinkle set-test by taking the pan off the heat, removing one of the saucers from the freezer, spooning an eighth of a teaspoon on to the saucer and placing it in the fridge for 1 minute. Push the marmalade on the plate with your forefinger and if it produces a surface wrinkle, then it's ready to jar. If it doesn't continue to boil and test every 1-2 minutes.
6. When ready, skim off any foam. Carefully remove the hot jars from the oven and quickly ladle (or use a Pyrex jug to cleanly pour) into the hot jars, close (1-2mm) to the top of the rim. Wipe down with a hot damp cloth and seal immediately. Store, sealed, up to 12 months. Once opened, eat within a month and store in the fridge.
Spicy marmalade margarita
Makes 2, double for more
Ingredients
100ml tequila, or mezcal for a smoky version
30ml lime juice
2 Tbsp lime & chilli marmalade
Ice
Salt, lime slice & chilli flakes, to garnish
Directions
1. Place ice in a cocktail shaker with the tequila, lime juice and marmalade, loosened with a teaspoon or two of water. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and strain into pre-chilled coupe glasses with a salted rim. Add a float of thinly sliced lime, a few chilli flakes and enjoy.
Kylee Newton is a food writer and author of two cookbooks, The Modern Preserver and The Modern Preserver's Kitchen. See her work at themodernpreserver.com and on Instagram @themodernpreserver
