Cooking with Limes

For beginning cooks one of the hardest things to achieve when creating a dish is establishing a subtle, yet distinct flavor. It can be hard when you first start to dabble in the culinary sciences to achieve a big flavor without going overboard and ruining the dish, or falling back on a commercially prepared flavor or spice. For me, when I really want to impress someone with a meal, I always seem to reach for a bunch of fresh limes to spice up my dish. Not only do limes produce one of my favorite flavors in cooking, but they are also one of the most versatile and easy to use ingredients.

Typically the first thing that I do when I prepare a dish using limes is begin to think about how the distinct lightly sour flavor of the limes can be used to freshen up the flavor of the meal. Freshness or even the illusion of freshness can mask the inexperience of any cook and raise the flavor level of any dish. I tend to use limes a lot paired with cilantro in many Mexican style dishes, but that marriage can be applied to many different dishes as well. A simple brown rice pilaf can be made much more flavorful when sautéed with some fresh cilantro and read onions and a liberal squeeze of fresh lime juice. Even a fresh salad can be improved upon with the classic cilantro and lime pairing.

I have also found that many times I can take any vinaigrette recipe and add either a squeeze of lime or some zest from the limes skin to awaken the flavor. This can turn a normal appetizer salad into a very intriguing stop along the journey that is the entire meal. The benefit of the limes flavor in the beginning courses cannot be overlooked.

Much like a distinct salad can overall enhance the experience of the total meal, a clever mixed drink, much like a wine can add so much to a dish. Lime is a great addition because you can add great flavor to a dish simply by creating a complementary drink. A fresh lime enhanced margarita is a very simple drink that awakens the flavors in a great variety of dishes. I tend to use a store bought margarita mix, with a nice tequila, served on the rocks, with some salt and the all important fresh lime squeeze and garnish.