Speaking of Limes...Key Limes

[Toliver]

Yesterday I saw that my local supermarket had bags of tiny green limes the size of ping pong balls. They labeled them "Key Limes".

I Image-Googled them and it turns out they are indeed Key Limes. They are tiny little suckers (on the right in the pic) compared to regular limes.

Has anyone dealt with them? Are they worth the effort of juicing? They'd barely fit on the tip of my juicer. How does the juice compare to that of regular limes?

And who in the world took a look at them and said to themselves "Why, I bet they'd make a great pie!"? You just know they had to be one of the first eGulleteers long before eGullet came to be!

[andiesenji]

They are worth it and they are full of seeds so juicing is a job.

I wash them well, then put them in a shallow dish and microwave them for 30 seconds or so then cut them in half, throw several into a ricer and squeeze. Much easier this way than trying to do them one at a time. Also handy is one of the old type juicers that works like a ricer.

like this one.

[fifi]

These things are pretty much a staple around here. What you want for a squeezer is something like this. I got mine at Central Market. The effort is worth it. We use these for really good margeritas, limeade with coconut rum, you name it.

These are the limes that you see all over Mexico. They are often served sliced ready to squeeze on whatever you have been served. They are very flavorful and definitely worth the trouble.

Tip: Slice the lime longitudinaly close to the core. You will end up with a roundish slice with no seeds. The inner portion will be pretty much wasted but that is ok. They are pretty cheap, usually.

[aprilmei]

Are key limes the same type of lime you find in Thailand and SE Asia? They look like the ones in the photo.

[Jason Perlow]

they make an awesome sorbet, especially when cut with another fruit like watermelon or strawberry.

[Jaymes]

And who in the world took a look at them and said to themselves "Why, I bet they'd make a great pie!"? 

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Well, the story goes that it was the folks in the Florida Keys, where the limes grow wild, who tried to come up with a good dessert using canned milk since, back during the war, they couldn't get fresh.

[Mooshmouse]

Are key limes the same type of lime you find in Thailand and SE Asia? They look like the ones in the photo.

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I was just thinking the same thing myself. They look an awful lot like kalamansi (or calamansi, if you prefer), the taste of which is a bit of a delicate cross between lime and lemon. If they are, then juicing them is definitely worth the effort.

[lovebenton0]

Key limes are by far my preferred lime for everyday use. They are small, yes, so you get less juice per fruit, but you will be surprised how juicy the little suckers are. Juice of Key lime packs more flavor drop per drop to my tongue than the regular ol' big boys.

Good idea, andie, about nuking them. I always just roll them on the counter with the palm of my hand, but I'll have to try that.

[suzilightning]

we got some down in the keys when we were down last march. i made a key lime pie and the juice was really good in gimlets and margaritas

[Richard Kilgore]

Good idea, andie, about nuking them. I always just roll them on the counter with the palm of my hand, but I'll have to try that.

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Someone did an experiment here and I can't recall who. Maybe Russ Parsons. But the result was that the combination of rolling them and nuking them produced the most juice.

[JAZ]

Good idea, andie, about nuking them. I always just roll them on the counter with the palm of my hand, but I'll have to try that.

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Someone did an experiment here and I can't recall who. Maybe Russ Parsons. But the result was that the combination of rolling them and nuking them produced the most juice.

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Robert Wolke addressed this topic in What Einstein Told His Cook, and concluded that rolling and microwaving helped increase juice extraction only when one was juicing by hand -- that is, with no implement at all. But if you juice with a electric juicer, reamer, Mexican juicer or (I assume) a ricer, it doesn't make any difference.

Incidentally, for best results, roll then heat-- not the other way around.

[Adam Balic]

Are key limes the same type of lime you find in Thailand and SE Asia? They look like the ones in the photo.

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I was just thinking the same thing myself. They look an awful lot like kalamansi (or calamansi, if you prefer), the taste of which is a bit of a delicate cross between lime and lemon. If they are, then juicing them is definitely worth the effort.

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Most likely not. Key Limes are Citrus aurantifolia, Calamansi are Citrofortunella microcarpa and Tahitian limes are Citrus latifolia.

[phaelon56]

I contend that if the sole purpose is to make Key Lime Pie, using the fresh limes just isn't worth the expense and effort. We've had that discussion here previously and the general consensus was that in a pie you can't taste the difference between the bottle Key Lime juice and the fresh. Using the juice in other things I know it's a different situation.

I happen to enjoy lime juice with my tonic water - its' always the bomb when I have it in Central Amercia or Mexico - now I know why.

[andiesenji]

These things are pretty much a staple around here. What you want for a squeezer is something like this. I got mine at Central Market. The effort is worth it. We use these for really good margeritas, limeade with coconut rum, you name it.

That is the hand-held type I mentioned that people often use the wrong way. The citrus has to go into it cut side down and when pressed it turns the fruit inside out and extracts the most juice. I saw someone on a Food TV show using one the wrong way, putting the cut side up, which looks like it would fit, but it doesn't work as well and the juice squirts out the sides instead of through the holes in the bottom.

[cakewalk]

Is the taste of key limes different than that of "regular" limes? I haven't seen them yet around here.

I only first tasted limes about a year ago (yes, it's true, as part of a salad I was making), and I was bowled over at how great the taste is.

[whatsup1]

I use key limes exclusively, as I can walk out in the yard and pick one off the tree whenever I need one. The flavor is tarter than a Persian lime. Key limes sold in grocery stores are almost all imported from Mexico, as they are no longer raised commercially in the Keys. I don't think the Mexican key limes are as flavorful as ones grown in the Keys, but perhaps that is because they are not as fresh. If you can get fresh ones, however, I personally think there is a difference in flavor.

[viva]

cakewalk, I think they are slightly sweeter/less acidic than regular limes.

You can't make a decent caipirinha with regular limes... key limes are key. IMHO.

[Dr. Funk]

This is also the proper lime for your Mexican beer. It has a much better taste than the Persian lime and is best when it is just starting to yellow.

[Toliver]

These things are pretty much a staple around here. What you want for a squeezer is something like this. I got mine at Central Market. The effort is worth it. We use these for really good margeritas, limeade with coconut rum, you name it.

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Hey, I have one like that. It's not as "purty" since it's just naked metal. I bought it when I was down in Cabo and I took a "class" on how to make Mexican favorites (margaritas, guacomole & salsa...talk about a Trinity!).

If the store still has them this weekend, I'll spring for a bag and give them a test squirt.

[andiesenji]

I often buy them at the Mexican supermarket which has them all year long.

When they are really cheap, 4 pounds for a dollar, I buy a big bag full.

I cut them in half, toss them in a big bowl, then sit down and using a melon baller, scoop out the pulp and toss it into a jumbo freezer bag. I then seal the bag, put it on a sheet pan, press it as flat as I can get it so it is an even thickness then freeze the whole thing.

(Or it can be frozen in smaller bags.)

When I have time to process it, I break off chunks, put them in a colander and let the pulp thaw then put it through an electric juicer (I have a cheap one that I bought at a yard sale for 10 dollars). The skin is more bitter than the Persian limes so I don't want to have the taste in the juice.

The freezing and thawing breaks down the cell walls and I get much more juice from the limes than putting them directly into the juicer. I have done it both ways and measured the juice and the pulp from the same weight of fruit and the juice:pulp ratio is quite a bit higher after freezing.

A good, sharp melon baller is just the right size for getting all the flesh out of these little fruits. I have passed along this method to several friends who own or work in restaurants and they also found it saves a lot of work.

[Smithy]

These things are pretty much a staple around here. What you want for a squeezer is something like this. I got mine at Central Market. The effort is worth it. We use these for really good margeritas, limeade with coconut rum, you name it.

That is the hand-held type I mentioned that people often use the wrong way. The citrus has to go into it cut side down and when pressed it turns the fruit inside out and extracts the most juice. I saw someone on a Food TV show using one the wrong way, putting the cut side up, which looks like it would fit, but it doesn't work as well and the juice squirts out the sides instead of through the holes in the bottom.

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At last, a mystery explained. I've always wondered how the heck one of those squeezers would turn the fruit inside out, but since I swear by my Wear-ever juicer (like the one you recommend, Andie) I've never had to find out. If I'd ever tried one I'd have done exactly as you described the TV guy doing, with the same results.

[Squeat Mungry]

I have a Mexican friend (an excellent cook) who insists that key limes are the only limes to use in cebiche.

My cast aluminum lime press is a little more rustic looking, like this one, but it works fine and only cost me like 5 bucks at the Mexican grocery!

[fifi]

I often buy them at the Mexican supermarket which has them all year long. 

When they are really cheap, 4 pounds for a dollar, I buy a big bag full. 

I cut them in half, toss them in a big bowl, then sit down and using a melon baller, scoop out the pulp and toss it into a jumbo freezer bag.  I then seal the bag, put it on a sheet pan, press it as flat as I can get it so it is an even thickness then freeze the whole thing. 

(Or it can be frozen in smaller bags.)

When I have time to process it, I break off chunks, put them in a colander and let the pulp thaw then put it through an electric juicer (I have a cheap one that I bought at a yard sale for 10 dollars).  The skin is more bitter than the Persian limes so I don't want to have the taste in the juice. 

The freezing and thawing breaks down the cell walls and I get much more juice from the limes than putting them directly into the juicer.  I have done it both ways and measured the juice and the pulp from the same weight of fruit and the juice:pulp ratio is quite a bit higher after freezing. 

A good, sharp melon baller is just the right size for getting all the flesh out of these little fruits.  I have passed along this method to several friends who own or work in restaurants and they also found it saves a lot of work.

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And yet another example of inspired genius. That is exactly what I am going to do the next time our HEB has them really cheap. For some reason, I find using a melon baller kinda fun.

When I first saw the Mexican style squeezers, I too assumed that you used it cut side up. Then someone told me it was the other way around and it suddenly made sense. I now prepare fresh squeezed limeade on a whim. Those things do a really good job and strain the juice at the same time. I squeeze directly into the glass.