Everything lime! 30 great ideas to put zing into your summer - includes related articles on squeezing and choosing limes and recipes - Special Issue: Quick, Light & Healthy

Sunset, Summer, 1997 by Barbara Goldman

1. Where there's heat, there oughta be lime. Add a little lime juice to chili-based sauces, marinades, and food combos. It's the coolest of complements.

2. Lime-Chipotle Sauce. Mix 1/2 cup honey, 2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chilies in adobado sauce, 3 tablespoons brown mustard, 1/2 cup lime juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sauce with grilled meats, poultry, and fish. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Per tablespoon: 27 cal., 3.3% (0.9 cal.) from fat; 0.1 g protein; 0.1 g fat (0 g sat.); 6.6 g carbo (0.1 g fiber); 35 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

3. Grilled-Fish Tacos with Green Salsa

SERVES 4

Prep and cook time: About 30 minutes

3 1/2 cups finely shredded red or green cabbage

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

Salt and pepper

3/4 pound tomatillos

2 tablespoons salad oil

1 onion (about 6 oz.), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 1/2 pounds firm-flesh skinned fish fillets, such as lingcod or Chilean seabass

3 or 4 fresh jalapeno chilies (2 to 3 oz. total)

2 teaspoons lime juice

About 3/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro 1 clove garlic

12 warm corn or low-fat flour tortillas (6 or 7 in. wide)

Reduced-fat sour cream

Lime wedges

1. Mix cabbage with vinegar and 3 tablespoons water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill.

2. Remove and discard husks from tomatillos. Rinse tomatillos and thread onto skewers. Brush some of the oil lightly onto onion slices. Rinse fish and pat dry. Brush fish with remaining oil.

3. Place tomatillos, onion, and chilies on a barbecue grill above a solid bed of hot coals or on a gas grill over high heat (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning as needed, until vegetables are browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

4. Place fish on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of medium-hot coals or on a gas grill over medium-high heat (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds). Cook, turning once, until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in thickest part (cut to test), 10 to 14 minutes.

5. Remove stems from chilies; remove seeds if you want less heat. In a blender or food processor, whirl tomatillos, chilies, lime juice, 1/4 cup cilantro, and garlic until smooth. Chop grilled onion and add to tomatillo mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour salsa into a small bowl.

6. To assemble each taco, fill a tortilla with a little cabbage relish, a few chunks of fish, salsa, cilantro, and sour cream. Add a squeeze of lime, and salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving (3 tacos): 434 cal. 23% (99 cal.) from fat: 37 g protein; 11 g fat (1.5 g sat.); 48 g carbo (6.1 g fiber); 231 mg sodium; 89 mg chol.

4. Papaya, Orange, and Berry Salad with Lime-Chili Dressing

SERVES 4

Prep time: About 25 minutes

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1 or 2 red or green jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 papaya (about 1 1/4 lb.), peeled and seeded

2 oranges

1 cup raspberries, rinsed and drained

1 cup blueberries, rinsed and drained

Butter lettuce leaves, rinsed and crisped

1. Mix together lime juice, cilantro, chili, and sugar.

2. Cut papaya lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

3. Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Cut between membranes to release segments. Discard any seeds.

4. In a bowl, combine orange segments, raspberries, and blueberries. Add lime juice mixture and stir gently until fruit is evenly coated (be careful not to crush raspberries).

5. Line plates with butter lettuce leaves. Arrange papaya wedges on top in a fan or other pattern. Spoon berries, orange segments, and juice over papaya slices.

Per serving: 116 cal., 4.7% (5.4 cal.) from fat; 1.7 g protein; 0.6 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 29 g carbo (5 g fiber); 7.8 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

5. Lime Marinade. Mix 1 teaspoon grated lime peel, 1/3 cup lime juice, 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 minced cloves garlic, and 1 stemmed, seeded, and minced fresh jalapeno chili. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Per tablespoon: 10 cal., 0% (0 cal.) from fat; 0.1 g protein; 0 g fat; 2.5 g carbo (0 g fiber); 21 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

6. Lime and Chipotle Scallops

SERVES 6

Prep and cook time: About 30 minutes, plus 1 1/2 hours to cool

Notes: This appetizer also works well as an entree.

1 pound sea or bay scallops 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 cup minced shallots 1/2 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chilies in adobado or hot chili flakes 1/2 cup lime juice 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar 1/2 pound jicama 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro Lime halves Salt and pepper

1. Rinse scallops and drain on paper towels. If scallops are more than 1/2 inch thick, cut in half to make thinner rounds.

2. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, stir oil, shallots, and chipotles until shallots are limp, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Add scallops in a single layer; reduce heat, cover, and simmer just until opaque but still moist-looking in center (cut to test), about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer scallops to a bowl.