3 ways with ... Limes

Roasted parsnips with lime, cumin seeds and brown sugar. Photo / Babiche Martens

Down to earth
Trees are heavy with limes; shops are full of cold weather parsnips. Give the earthy parsnip flavour an exotic new lease on life in the depths of winter: roast with lime, cumin seeds and brown sugar. Lime also adds zing to lentils, especially when simmered with coconut milk.

Something fishy
Substitute limes for lemons in your favourite marinated raw fish salad; chop up a salsa of chillies with pineapple and lime juice to serve with seared scallops or prawns; bake a whole fish with lime and slivers of fennel. Squeeze lime into a hollandaise or mayonnaise to zing up seafood fritters or crumbed fish dishes.

Sweet surrender
Make your best self saucing lemon sponge pudding with lime juice instead. Freeze a lime syrup or yoghurt, scoop into balls and serve as a palate tingling finale to a heavy winter dinner. Serve with mango or grilled pineapple.