How to Cook With Lime Juice

Prepare a marinade for meat, poultry, or fish with lime juice. Every marinade is made up of an acid, an oil, and flavorings. The oil moistens the meat while spices and herbs seep in, adding pronounced flavor. The acid breaks the meat down, allowing the oil and seasonings to do their job. Vinegar and lemon juice are the most common acids used, but lime juice is also acidic enough to do the trick. Lime juice goes especially well with chicken and fish.

• The simplest marinades use equal parts oil and acid. For most marinades, you will need to prepare 1/2 cup per pound (125 milliliters per 450 grams) of meat, or 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) lime juice and 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) olive oil per pound.

Use lime juice instead of lemon juice for marinades that sit over an extended amount of time. While it has enough acid to break down meat, lime juice is slightly less acidic than lemon juice, so the reaction goes a little slower. As a result, meats that bathe in lime juice can sit a little while longer without turning tough.

Do not allow meats, poultry, and fish to marinate too long. The acidic lime juice can actually begin "cooking" the meat, as it does when used for ceviche. Due to the oil, however, the cooking process will not be as thorough, leaving you with raw meat that turns tough upon cooking it with heat.

• Marinate pork and beef for 2 hours to allow them ample time to soak in the marinade. Large, dense cuts can last up to 1 or 2 days before turning tough.
• Marinate chicken for about 1 hour. Chicken and other types of poultry are less dense than pork or beef, so marinades have a stronger effect. Do not allow chicken to marinate for much longer than 8 to 10 hours.
• Marinate seafood for 30 minutes. Fish has a remarkably light density and acidic lime juice will have a strong effect on it early on. Do not allow fish to marinate for more than 60 minutes, or it will begin "cooking" and will end up with a tough, unpleasant texture once you continue cooking it with heat.

Add a dash of lime juice to a bland recipe to give it an exotic Latin or island-style taste. Lime juice is most commonly used in cuisine from Mexico, Latin America, Hawaii, and other island countries. You can search for recipes from these regions to make use of your lime juice, or you could add a splash of lime juice in toward the end of your cooking to flavor otherwise bland dishes like soups or pastas.

Pair lime juice with complementary flavors. Cilantro is an especially common herb to use with lime juice. Coconut is another worthwhile flavor to match with lime juice and brings a nice node of sweetness to the sourness of lime.

Cook rice with lime juice. Rice absorbs flavor as it cooks, so adding 1 or 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 milliliters) of lime juice can give it a tangy, exotic flavor. The citrus in lime also makes rice fluffier, but the effect is not as pronounced as it is when using a stronger citrus like lemon juice.

• Alternatively, you can also create coconut lime rice by substituting half or all of the water for coconut milk and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 milliliters) of lime juice. This rice will be heavy rather than fluffy due to the effect of the coconut milk.

Make a key lime dessert. Key limes are smaller than other lime varieties and have a sharper, more pronounced sourness that creates an interesting contrast in otherwise sweet desserts. Key lime pie is the most common lime baked good, but you can also create cakes, cheesecakes, ice cream, and more using the juice of key limes.

Flavor a beverage with lime juice. While not as commonly used as lemon juice, lime juice can add a refreshing splash of citrus to a variety of drinks. One or two teaspoons of lime juice works especially well in water, but you can also try adding a splash to a lemon-lime drink or other soda. Alternatively, you can use lime juice to create limeade.

Add lime juice to your favorite sauce. Lime juice can give an old sauce recipe new dimension. Try adding 1 or 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 milliliters) of lime juice to a standard barbecue or marinara sauce. Stir the lime juice in and warm the sauce so that the flavors can blend.

Create a lime juice dressing. A simple vinaigrette dressing combines olive oil and vinegar in a ratio of 3 to 1. For an exotic twist, you can skip the vinegar and add lime juice in the same proportions. Mix in a little honey to cut the sourness of the lime juice, or add some cilantro, ginger, and salt to enhance the flavor. You can use this dressing over cold cooked pasta, loose leaf salads, and cucumber salads.