Explainer: Blood Limes, the Citrus Hybrid Chefs Love

You’ve seen the petite egg shape in a cumquat and the mottled sunset hues in the flesh of a blood orange. You’ve experienced similarly tart flavours and vibrant aromas in lemons and limes, but nothing quite like this. 

You’re not imagining it: Australian Blood Limes recall many of the familiar qualities of the citrus family. But what is this unusual fruit turning up on social media and restaurant menus around the country? 

What is a blood lime?

Blood limes are a native citrus hybrid of the red finger lime and Ellendale mandarin. Also called Red Centre Lime, the fruit was developed by the CSIRO along with two other novel lime varieties (Australian Sunrise and Australian Outback) in Merbein, Victoria, in the early ’90s, with a goal to produce new salt-tolerant citrus crops with commercial potential.  

Blood limes are characterised by their tart flavour, burgundy-coloured rind, separated vesicles and blood-red flesh. Their pithless, edible skin is thicker than a tomato’s, but delicate enough that you don’t need to peel it. Carsten Schaefer, head chef at Auterra in Melbourne, says this makes it comparable to a cumquat and more appealing as an ingredient. “There’s zero wastage, which is another good reason to use it in a restaurant.”

What do blood limes taste like?

“Blood limes have a sharp, acidic, clean flavour,” says Schaefer. “They’re very fragrant, a little floral and subtly sweet. The special thing about them is that there’s almost no bitterness because they don’t have the white pith lemons have. That makes them a good choice for both sweet and savoury dishes.”

The caveat, according to Schaefer, is to use them as a component, rather than the hero, of a dish. An early example at Auterra was a Tabasco-style oyster condiment. “We took blood limes, chillies, vinegar and let those ferment. It became more and more fragrant with a lovely sourness and aroma from the blood lime. They do a good job balancing spices.”

More recent examples on the Auterra menu include a beurre blanc accompanying delicate parcels of scallop agnolotti, and a blood lime sambal served with steamed barramundi, fermented capsicum and butter-sauteed fennel.

“The barramundi can handle a lot of flavour and we were quite brave with the components of the dish,” says Schaefer. “The super fragrant blood lime really shines in the sambal. It’s spicy and lemony, and brings a nice balance.”

Where can I buy blood limes?  

Blood limes were granted plant breeders rights and approved for commercial sale in 2004. It’s rare – but not impossible – to find them at specialty grocers, with even rarer sightings at major supermarkets. Frozen and dried products are more readily available, but if you’re set on fresh fruit, your best bet might be to grow it yourself.  

Otherwise, blood limes are starting to thrive at the high end of Australian dining, evidenced at Auterra, its sibling Amaru, and other elite restaurants around the country. The tasting menu at Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic has previously featured a blood lime-infused sorbet, while the seafood platter at Sydney’s new Southeast Asian grill Ashe pairs the hybrid citrus with Yamba pippies in a lemongrass sate.

But Schaefer says the fruit’s versatility isn’t the only reason it’s becoming more popular with chefs. “In the world with social media, the visual element is also really important. People want to see stunning, exciting things. Having the vibrant colour of blood lime in a sauce is visually interesting,” he says. “All five senses are involved.”