Finger lime

Citrus australasica · Citrus

40 pairings

The finger lime (Citrus australasica) is a slender, cylindrical Australian rainforest citrus, only a few centimetres long, whose skin may be green, yellow, pink, crimson or near-black. Its flesh is not divided into ordinary juicy segments but built from thousands of tiny, firm, spherical juice vesicles that tumble out when the fruit is cut and burst on the tongue like caviar, earning it the names citrus caviar and lime caviar. Tart and high-toned, with lime, grapefruit and a fresh herbal edge, it has become a prized chef garnish on oysters, raw seafood, ceviche, cocktails and desserts.

Picking a good onedrag

Full, taut, oil-brightLimp, dull, scent gone

Shop freshThe all-rounder: pearls over anything raw, or the rind grated fine.Everyday best

SkinColour still even, the gloss gone matte

In the handFirm, the middle gives a little under a thumb

Stem endScar dry, a shade sunken and pale

Scratched skinFragrant when rubbed, the grapefruit edge softer

What to look for, from full, taut, oil-bright to limp, dull, scent gone.

Keeping ittap a band

Growers' cool rooms run 5-10 C, but a 2024 Florida trial pitted fruit held at 4 C: below about 8 C that thin rind sinks into dark brown pits.

Humidity

90-95%

A perforated bag in the crisper: bare in dry air the 2 mm rind shrivels and the pearls inside go slack within days.

Airflow

Perforated bag, not sealed

Growers pack them in perforated bags. Sealed and damp, Penicillium takes hold at any nick in the skin - and never bag them wet.

Sensitive, but not a source

No one has measured ethylene on finger lime; like other limes it makes almost none, but ages and decays faster beside apples, bananas and avocados.

Preparing