Key limes

It's the peak of Key lime season, although you would never know it in Hawaii. Although the standard green Persian lime is available to us year-round, you won't find its cousin the Key lime in these parts. Just getting our hands on the juice also requires some searching, but now's the time to do so.

The basics: Key limes are a different class of limes, named because they were grown in the Florida Keys up until the mid 1920s. A devastating hurricane wiped out most of the commercial trees and, unfortunately, heartier Persian lime trees replaced most of them.

Although Key limes are now also grown in Texas and California, the bulk of the commercial crop is grown in Mexico and Central America. The Key lime is much smaller and rounder than the standard Persian lime, with a rather thin skin that's also more yellow in color. The juice is very fragrant, with an appealing light green tinge. Key lime juice is also an excellent source of vitamin C.

Selecting: Because fresh Key limes are non-existent here, we have to rely on bottled concentrates. The concentrates aren't readily available either, so some hunting is required. Regular Persian limes can always be substituted, but a Key lime pie recipe just isn't the same without the real juice.

Storing: Bottled concentrates can remain on the shelf for a month or so, but store opened bottles in the refrigerator. They'll keep several weeks.

Use: Of course Key lime juice is most notably used in pies. Key lime cheesecake has also become popular in recent years as well as Key lime bars.

But the juice is also said to enhance the flavor in poultry and fish dishes, while adding a refreshing zing to marinades, sauces, salad dressings and summer drinks.

Where to buy: Williams Sonoma and other specialty food stores occasionally have Key lime juice in stock. Otherwise, it can also be ordered from a handful of Internet sites. Make sure to check that shipping to Hawaii is available. The juice ain't cheap. A bottle could run you from $5 to $10, depending on quantity.

Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga is
a free-lance food writer. Contact her
online through features@starbulletin.com

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