Hmmmm, I might try some of the juice in salsa, for the acid portion, and I'd make marmalade out of some. No matter how bitter, if you add the sugar most marmalade recipes call for, it'll be sweet.

You can freeze the juice and the zest, the zest would probably be good in shortbread cookies or a quick bread, something relatively sweet.

Annie

annie i think i have been wondering if they might make a decent marmalade. only one way to find out! Thanks for the suggestion.

Kaffir lime juice and peel is very pungent, and you may not like the end result in preserves; it isn't just the bitterness that's an issue. Try a marmalade of the smallest batch size possible so you don't waste your effort or find yourself burdened with unusable product if you don't care for it.

The leaves are great in cooking, as is the grated peel for Thai curry pastes, but personally I think the best use for the juice is as a shampoo rinse (or stain remover).

Carol

At first, I thought Carol was making a joke - about "stain remover" but then remembered the best way to remove a rust stain from clothing, is to put lime juice and salt on the stain and put it into the sun. It works with regular lime so why not Kaffir.

I'm not familiar with Kaffir limes, however. But about limes in general, I remember using Key limes in Florida to "cook" a nice fresh-caught Snook. A local fish there that has sweet flesh, once their skin is removed (taste is soapy), then marinate it in lime juice and onions. The juice actually cooks the fish, and is delicious.

Bejay

I think it's a matter of personal taste. Kaffir limes have this haunting almost "floral" scent and taste, nothing like other limes. I have a feeling that like rosewater, its juice is something you either like or don't. Even if you do like it, as with rosewater, it's probably best in small amounts.

I have searched all over for recipes using the flesh or juice and just have not had much luck, even on Australian sites. I did find one recipe for kaffir lime marmalade but the directions are sparse and any marmalade recipe could be used. However, I am wondering, as a number of botanical sources list kaffir lime flesh as not edible.

Kaffir lime is not a true lime. It's a different sub-species of citrus, so it may be trial-and-error as to what works and what doesn't.

It just occurred to me that one way to determine if the juice appeals is to make a glass of limeade with plenty of sugar. Much quicker and less wasteful of effort than a batch of marmalade.

I'll keep looking around. If I spot any worthwhile recipes I will post.

P.S. Thai women swear by kaffir lime juice as a shampoo rinse. Also as a naturapathic remedy for skin irritations. So I wasn't kidding, though the tone may have come off as a bit snarky.

Carol

Thanks for doing a search Carol. i'm thinking the lack of recipes/culinary usage is pretty telling.

i prepared a very small batch of marmalade today. Not too bad at first taste but the bitterness creeps up on you and then won't go away. Very persistent. i can believe that the limes might be considered inedible.

It seems like the heat dissipated the distinct floral quality but the marmalade was still hot when i was tasting it so i'll have to check again in the morning. It cooked up to a very firm consistency.

Why do you think it makes such a great post-shampoo rinse? i'm guessing it might have a 'citronella' kind of effect?

mauirose, I planted a kaffir lime two years ago. Mine is a dwarf, which is great since I only use a couple of leaves when I make thai food. I read about it when i first got it and apparently the fruit is not eaten, in Thailand, only the leaves are used in cooking. I wondered why, so when I got my first fruit (in the summer) I took it to the kitchen and tried to make myself a mojito. Mint is one of the 'weeds' in our garden and I thought a kaffir lime mojito would just be so exotic and nice.... Fortunately I took a taste of the lime first, and changed my mind in a hurry! If I had gotten fruit in the winter, I would have been tempted to add it to the marmalade pot too, so let us know if the taste grows on you or it is too bitter. Nice to know about the hair rinse and antiseptic qualities. I do not get many of them, but whatever I get I will use this way.

I'd guess it's the acidity. The lime juice would help in removing any residual shampoo or build-up the shampoo might not have taken care of. The result is shiny squeaky-clean hair. You can achieve the same result with vinegar, but to my mind it's nicer to smell of lime than vinegar!

Carol

Well i can tell you that they do not make very good margaritas either!

And i agree, lime over vinegar any day ; )

Save the juice to make granita

Great and refreshing in summer

I taste it when i make marmalade or granita so that i can get the right sweetness to my taste.

You can add more if needed to (taste as you cook) but you cant take out

if too sweet.

We have two trees and our favorite way to use the fruit is Thai green curry.

We make a large batch of the paste, and freeze it in ice cube trays. I use multiples of this recipe, and modify to add the juice as well - https://www.alphafoodie.com/easy-thai-green-curry-paste#wprm-recipe-container-23850.  Once you have frozen pucks, I pair 2 - 3 pucks with a can of coconut cream to which I add a pre cooked protein (pork and chicken are both really good) and whatever veggies I have on hand and serve over rice.

I also make Thai soup (Tom yum)- https://mayakitchenette.com/thai-coconut-chicken-soup/ with chicken or shrimp using the rind, juice and leaves.

They are also good in Pad Thai (add juice while cooking and then serve with lime wedges).

I don't like them in anything sweet, but they shine in so many asian savory dishes.