Citrus Caviar: 3 Ways to Use Finger Limes to Enhance Your Meals

Finger limes are filled with 'caviar-like’ pearls full of lemon-lime juice. Learn the best finger lime recipes to know the best ways to use citrus caviar here.

Are you looking for the best finger lime recipes of 2019? They're in abundance but won't be useful if you're not sure how to incorporate the caviar lime. You also should know their history to have a better understanding of how to make the most of this unique fruit.

Creating the Best Finger Lime Recipes

Australian finger limes are apart of the citrus family, micro citrus specifically, and are native to Australia. The name derives from their size and shape being similar to human fingers. They sit at about 3 inches in length and come in an array of colors.

The pulp, or juice vesicles, of most citrus fruits and teardrops, share a shape. Yet, a finger lime's vesicles are small tiny balls that look similar to fruit caviar. It holds its shape until the beads burst into your mouth.

You can find finger limes in most specialty grocery stores and in some farmers markets. Most popular finger limes recipes include brightly colored ones for their vibrant look. Yet, choosing one with small brown patches won't affect the flavor.

They should be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. You don't want them to become dull, dry or start to shrivel. If you don't have much luck finding them at your local stores, they can be ordered online.

To try them for yourself, cut the finger limes in half, then squeeze from the bottom to the top. It releases the pulp with small amounts of pulp that way. But for 3 additional ways to incorporate finger limes, continue reading.

Garnish Your Favorite Dishes

An Australian finger lime pairs well with seafood like oysters, scallops or sushi. The pulp serves as a great texture and change of flavor for other food as well. You could easily create vegetarian dishes, like nigiri sushi with papaya or avocado.

Finger limes and alcohol make for a superb combination. You could take cocktails to a next level by flourishing finger lime pulp on top, inside or on the side. Try a finger lime mojito, an elderflower gin fizz or even a simple gin and tonic.

Taking Salads to New Heights

You can freshen up any salad with a sprinkle of finger lime pulp. Try using finger limes on fruit salads to start. Avoid using any other citrus fruits so that the finger limes can really be the star of the show.

You could also try them in a fruit pairing, using watermelon and whipped feta or persimmons and ginger. The fruit combination alone is sure to rick anyone's taste buds.

This special caviar lime also works great on savory salad too. You can replace the citrus juice in most vinaigrettes with finger lime pulp instead. You can expect a burst of flavor with every single bite.

Giving Desserts That Extra Flair

Finger lime recipes for desserts are in abundance! Choose from citrus curd to cheesecake — you're sure to see the caviar lime make an appearance. The finger lime pulp makes for a great twist for even the most simple recipes.

Finger limes can be used in cookies, ice cream or on top of your favorite cream puffs. Serve them alongside a homemade pie or add them to a healthy, breakfast parfait. Who said you can't have dessert in the morning?

Bottom Line

Some of these finger lime recipes might already be your favorites for the year. Give them a go and be sure to add to the list as you go along.

For more ideas on incorporating finger limes in your next dish, check out more on our citrus blog!

Try our seasonal citrus box while its available...the Craft Citrus Club!

Our Rio box is a 15-lb curated box of our fresh-harvested citrus from South Texas. The fruit is NOT gassed, rather it is tree-ripened. Our season runs from Nov-May for  oranges, grapefruit and mandarins.

Our Grande box is a 30-lb box of either fresh-harvested Rio Red Grapefruit or Sweet Oranges from South Texas.