Sopa de Lima Yucateca
In Mérida, Mexico, where I first tasted this wonderful sopa de lima, the soup is made with a local citrus fruit. Smaller than an orange, with a yellowish lime-green color and a very smooth skin, lima (Citrus limetta) has a sweet, refreshing taste and a pronounced aroma. As a child, I loved to eat it in wedges because it was mild and sweet with very little acidity. The lima is added only very late in the cooking and removed when it has contributed its aroma. In this country, I use Seville (bitter) oranges because of their equally fragrant skin. Once in a while I have been able to find limas in my local markets, but now I am hooked on the flavor of the soup with the bitter orange.
Note: This soup is based on a delicate but very richly spiced chicken broth called salpimentado; you save some of the chicken used for cooking the broth and shred it to be used in the finished dish. I have come to love salpimentado so much that I often make up a double or triple batch and freeze some to use in other dishes where I want a really special broth.
This recipe was excerpted from 'Gran Cocina Latina' by Maricel Presilla. Buy the full book on Amazon. Click through for more Mexican soups →
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What you’ll need
Anise Seeds
$5 At Amazon
Cinnamon Sticks
$9 At Amazon
Cloves
$6 At Amazon
Allspice Berries
$4 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
For the broth
For the soup
Preparation
Make the broth
Step 1
Heat a comal, griddle, or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Add the garlic and onion and roast, turning occasionally, until darkened on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove and let cool. Meanwhile, roast the habanero for the soup, turning with tongs, until lightly charred, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Step 2
Peel the roasted garlic and onion.
Step 3
Place the chicken in a large pot and add the water, garlic and onion, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, anise seeds, cumin, oregano, and culantro or cilantro. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered, until the broth is reduced by half, about 1½ hours.
Step 4
Transfer the chicken to a plate and strain the broth. Rinse out the pot and return the broth to it.
Step 5
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the breast meat into fine shreds. Save the rest of the chicken for another purpose.
Step 6
Seed and finely chop the roasted chile, or crush it lightly, depending on how much heat you want. Set aside.
Make the soup
Step 7
In a small skillet, heat the oil until rippling over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the roasted chile and salt.
Step 8
Scrape the mixture into the broth and add the lima or orange and the shredded chicken breast. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lima or orange slices. If using a crushed habanero, remove it from the pot.
Step 9
Cut the tortillas into ¼-inch-wide strips. In a large skillet, heat the oil until it ripples. Add the tortilla strips in batches and fry, stirring and tossing to coat evenly, until golden. Lift out onto paper towels to drain.
Step 10
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and serve garnished with the fried tortilla strips.
Recipe notes
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