Caviar Lime

Caviar lime (Citrus australasica) is a slow-growing native of the subtropical rainforests of eastern Australia, used by Aboriginal communities for thousands of years and only commercialised in the late twentieth century. Today's commercial production runs from northern NSW and Queensland to small specialist groves in California and Sicily.

What sets it apart isn't the skin (green, red, yellow or black depending on cultivar) but the flesh — instead of segments, the interior is packed with hundreds of tiny round pearls of lime juice that hold their shape until pressure releases them. Slice the slim pod across the middle, squeeze gently, and the caviar-like pearls extrude onto the plate.

The flavour is bright, bracing, bracingly limey — concentrated essence rather than diluted juice. Best with raw seafood, on cocktails, scattered over carpaccio, or stirred into champagne in place of sugar. Keep refrigerated; pods last 2-3 weeks sealed.