Not for your guac, marg or tortilla soup, a finger lime is a most unconventional citrus fruit. Native to the eastern coastal rain forests of Australia, this elongated, gherkin-shaped micro-citrus comes in a rainbow of shades: from green to yellow to pink to rusty red. Inside are tiny juice spheres that look like caviar but burst with lemon-lime flavor.
Use it: Cut the lime in half and scoop out the pulp, then take advantage of its texture and citrus pop by using it as a garnish for seafood and fish; as an accent for sushi and ceviche; as faux roe for oysters, whether atop a half shell or an oyster shooter.
Find it: Global Foods Market, 421 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, 314.835.1112, globalfoodsmarket.com
Want a recipe for finger limes? Try this recipe for Oysters on the Half Shell with Finger Lime “Roe,” courtesy of Harvest’s Nick Miller.
This article appears in January 2013.