How to Peel a Lime In Less Than 3 Minutes
Have you dedicated much time in your life to wondering how to peel a lime or other citrus fruit? You’re not alone. Recently, the internet freaked out so much about a peeled lime that Twitter created a dedicated moment to the ordeal. Twitter user Exploditorium posted a photo declaring the peeled citrus fruit “evil and cursed.” The response to Exploditorium’s Tweet was overwhelming, with reactions being both adamantly for and against peeled lime. A large portion of the responses, however, were simply from those wondering how to peel a lime. While Exploditorium’s image appeared to be of a lime perfectly peeled and segmented without using any tools, when I’m asked how to peel a lime, I turn to the supreme (pronounced "soo-prehm") technique.
To supreme citrus is to use a paring knife to remove the skin, pith, and membrane of the fruit, and then to segment it into even slices. The supreme technique removes all the bitter parts of citrus, leaving the sweet, fleshy bits—perfect for when using fruit in a salad or garnishing a stack of pancakes. Here’s how to peel a lime (or any other citrus fruit) in less than 3 minutes.
Begin by placing your citrus fruit—using a lime if you dare—on a cutting board. Use a sharp paring knife to trim the top and bottom of the fruit.
Place the fruit on the cutting board vertically and use the paring knife to slice off the skin and pith, cutting from bottom to top around the entire lime.
The sharper the knife, the easier this step will be.
There you have it—a peeled lime! Let the fruit enjoy its nudity for a moment.
To finish the supreme, place the fruit on its side and slice halfway into the flesh along one of the membrane lines.
Remove the knife, then cut into the next membrane line in the same way until the two slices meet, releasing a perfect citrus segment.
Repeat with the remainder of the lime.
