Spicy Lime Pickle Made With Australian Blood Limes
Have you heard of Australian blood limes? These stunning red limes have a unique colour and flavour that makes for a delicious twist on Indian-style lime pickles. Learn how to make a delicious tart and spicy pickle using red blood limes combined with fragrant spices.
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What is a blood lime?
Australian blood limes are a citrus hybrid created by crossing the Ellendale mandarin with a native Australian red finger lime. This variety was created by the CSIRO when investigating salt-resistant crops, but is now available to buy at nurseries and fruit tree retailers around Australia. They are currently for sale at my local nursery, and I’ve also seen the fresh blood lime fruits for sale locally.
Blood limes are named for their blood-red rind, flesh and juice. The fruits ripen in winter and have a really interesting flavour profile. Blood limes are quite tart and a little sour like a lemon, have a little sweetness from the mandarin and have a slightly floral scent and taste. They are generally less bitter than traditional green limes. Blood limes are great to add to cocktails and drinks, and can even be eaten whole like a cumquat, but there are other ways to use them in cooking too.
Lime pickle
Indian-style lime pickles are made by fermenting limes in salt and cooking with mustard seeds, warm spices and chili. These tangy, salty and spicy pickles are delicious served with curries.
Pickles are usually made with ripe, thin-skinned green limes. For this Indian-pickle inspired recipe, we’ve used ripe blood limes instead. They also have thin skins and a flavour profile that lends itself well to pickling.
Make sure to use ripe and unblemished blood limes in this recipe for best results.
Don’t have blood limes? You can always make this recipe using very ripe, thin-skinned green limes instead.
Blood lime pickle ingredients
To make this blood lime pickle you’ll need:
- 8 ripe Australian blood limes
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
While this pickle has some heat from the chili, it isn’t overly hot. Adjust to taste by using less chili for a milder version, or leave the seeds in for more heat.
Sterilising jars
For this recipe you’ll need about 3 small jars (200ml or 8oz size), or equivalent. While you could buy new mason style jam jars with metal lids, you can also just use other used jars you’ve collected. As long as they have a well fitting screw tight lid that can be sterilised (metal or plastic). Otherwise you can use clear cellophane jam covers and rubber bands in place of a lid.
It’s very important to sterilise your jars first. Otherwise you risk bacteria in the jars ruining all your hard work with mouldy pickle.
Sterilising jars doesn’t have to be complicated. They just need to be very clean and well dried. I usually just run my jars and metal lids through a hot wash in the dishwasher. If they aren’t quiet dry afterwards I’ll pop them on a tray in a warm oven (110C) for about to 15 minutes to finish off.
If you don’t have a dishwasher, give your jars a good clean in hot soapy water instead. Then rinse well and place in the oven (as above) to dry.
For any lids with rubber seals or plastic, you can boil them in boiling water for 15 minutes and then air dry instead of using the dishwasher/oven.
Method
The most time consuming part of this recipe is the time needed to soak the blood limes. You’ll need to do this for at least 3 days, or preferably 5, before you cook the pickle, so make sure to plan ahead.
Prepare the blood limes
Choose unblemished ripe blood limes for this recipe. Wash the blood limes well and dry completely with paper towel.
Cut each blood lime into 8 wedges and carefully remove any seeds. Place the lime wedges in a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt, cover and place in a cool dry place for 3 to 5 days. The juice will seep out of the limes over time. Stir the salted limes each day and re-cover.
Important note on bitterness
It is possible for lime pickles to taste quite bitter, especially at first. Usually this bitterness will resolve after leaving the pickle to develop in the jar for at least a month before using. So don’t panic if you taste the pickle after cooking and it’s too bitter.
There are a few other steps you can take to reduce the chance of bitter pickle:
- use very ripe blood limes for this recipe
- remove any seeds before pickling
- don’t skimp on the preparation time and make sure you leave the lime wedges in the salt for enough time before cooking
Cooking the lime pickle
On cooking day, add the vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat. Add yellow mustard seeds to the oil and cook, stirring, until they start to pop (less than a minute). Next add the minced garlic, finely chopped ginger, chili, ground coriander and cumin. Cook the spices while stirring for around 1 minute, or until fragrant.
Add the salted blood lime mixture, including all of the liquid, to the pan together with the brown sugar, water and white vinegar. Bring to the boil and then reduce hear, simmering on low for 30 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
Remove pan from the heat and carefully spoon the hot the pickle mixture into the prepared sterilised jars. Push the limes down with a spoon to make sure they are covered by the the liquid. Seal and label and date the jars for future reference.
Set aside the jars of pickle in a cool place for at least 2 to 4 weeks to allow the flavours to develop and any bitterness to resolve.
Unopened pickle will keep in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
Refrigerate after opening, and use within 2 months.
This recipe makes about 3 small jars of pickle (around 2 and a half cups).
More citrus recipes
Blood limes are one of the more unusual citrus varieties. Depending on where you live, other citrus you might not see often include pomelos and yuzu.
If you are looking for more ways to preserve fresh citrus, try our easy lime marmalade recipe or learn how to freeze limes and kaffir lime leaves for later.
There are lots more tasty citrus recipes to try on our recipes page.
And don’t forget to subscribe for more citrus inspiration for your kitchen, garden and home.
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Spicy Lime Pickle Made With Australian Blood Limes
Equipment
- 1 bowl
- 1 chopping board
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 medium saucepan
- measuring cups and spoons
- 3 small sterilised jars with lids
Ingredients
- 8 ripe Australian blood limes
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 cm piece fresh garlic, peeled and finely grated
- 1 small red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
Instructions
Prepare the blood limes
- Choose unblemished ripe blood limes for this recipe. Wash the blood limes well and dry completely with paper towel.
- Cut each blood lime into 8 wedges and carefully remove any seeds. Place the lime wedges in a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt, cover and place in a cool dry place for 3 to 5 days. The juice will seep out of the limes over time. Stir the salted limes each day and re-cover.
Cooking the lime pickle
- On cooking day, add the vegetable oil to a medium saucepan and warm over medium heat. Add yellow mustard seeds to the oil and cook, stirring, until they start to pop (less than a minute). Next add the minced garlic, finely chopped ginger, chili, ground coriander and cumin. Cook the spices while stirring for around 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the salted blood lime mixture, including all of the liquid, to the pan together with the brown sugar, water and white vinegar. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat, simmering on low for 30 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
- Remove pan from the heat and carefully spoon the hot the pickle mixture into the prepared sterilised jars. Push the limes down with a spoon to make sure they are covered by the the liquid. Seal the jars and label and date for future reference.
Rest
- Set aside the jars of pickle in a cool, dry place for at least 2 to 4 weeks to allow the flavours to develop and any bitterness to resolve.
