I tried Australian finger limes (Citrus australasica) this weekend after seeing them at Bridgeland Market. Cute, right?

They looked a bit shrivelled, but they’ve had a long journey from Oz all the way to my kitchen! And they were still beautifully juicy when I cut them open.

Nice, right? The cross cut and gentle squeeze makes for a dramatic photo, but to use these babies I suggest halving them lengthwise, picking out the row of seeds with a knife, then scraping out the pearls straight into a glass or whatever dish you plan to use them in. I dropped mine into a vodka soda, but these would also be great mixed into a honey vinaigrette or sprinkled on a fish taco. They burst with flavour when you bite into them and feel a lot like roe between the teeth, only less slimy!

I really want to try these in a Thai curry because the flavour is deeper and grassier than the big, fat limes we usually get in the grocery store here. The taste reminded me a lot of kaffir lime leaves, a very common Thai ingredient. Then, when I was Googling to see how those are related to finger limes, I learned that there’s actually a movement to ban the “k-word” and instead call them “makrut” limes because kaffir (last time I’m using it, I promise!) is a racist slur in some regions and cultures. So now that we all know we’ve been using a horrible, derogatory name for one of our favourite Thai flavours, let’s agree to say “makrut” going forward and just enjoy this soothing five second video of the lime beads floating up and down in my drink:

I definitely recommend picking up some of these little limes if you get a chance!