How do I remove bitter flavor from lime rind in soup?

Question

I just made a large pot of soup. It's a Mexican Caldo de Res. I added a bunch of lime juice, and thought, hey, maybe i'll throw the lime rinds in there too for a bit. This was a huge mistake. Now the whole thing has a really bitter flavor. I've removed the rinds, are there any suggestions on how to save this?

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 15 '10 at 02:35

You might be able to counter-balance it with other flavors (salt, sour, sweet, hot), but you're likely still going to have some bitter notes come through, it's just a question if it's tolerable or not, and some people dislike bitter more than others. (I can't understand how people can drink beers other than lambics)

In looking at a similar thread on Chowhound, one of the recommendations is a bit of milk or cream. If you're not lactose intollerant, it might be worth a try.

This could also be a chance for an experiment -- ladle it into a bunch of glasses, try some different things (sugar, vinegar, soy, hot sauce, milk, worcestershire, combinations of them, etc), and report back to us with what you think worked best.

score 5 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 15 '10 at 15:07

This isn't a direct answer, but rather an anecdote from personal experience.

One time I made garlic parmesan mashed potatoes for a company thanksgiving pot-luck lunch. I've made this recipe a few dozen times before. However, this time I decided to get creative and go with parmesan, asiago, and romano cheeses instead of just parmesan. I also committed the cardinal sin of not tasting as I went. Well, I didn't realize how much more salty asiago and romano cheeses were than parmesan. Needless to say when I finished and tasted it, it was almost inedibly salty. Salt being a hard thing to counteract, and me being reluctant to throw out 5 lbs of mashed potatoes, I decided to try dilution.

I made about 7 lbs more of potatoes, omitted all the salt, and used only parmesan. Surprisingly it worked rather well. They were still a bit on the salty side of things, but delicious.

In short, maybe try doubling or diluting your recipe next time you make a mistake. That in combination with some of the milk/cream methods suggested by others could save your dish.

score 5 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 12 '17 at 16:19

5

Not a fix, but a footnote - next time only use the zest and not the light-coloured part of the rind - that is where there the bitterness lies.It is called the "pith", and is the white lining between the peel and the fruit.

edited Mar 12 '17 at 16:19

Community

1

answered Nov 25 '11 at 12:56

immutabl

968
1
8
10

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Jul 15 '10 at 02:35

3

About the only thing I can think of us adding a little sugar to the pot, but don't add a lot all at once. Just add a little and taste...

answered Jul 15 '10 at 02:35

Pulse

7,139
1
32
40

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 25 '13 at 00:32

I hope this helps, try chopping up a whole bunch of celery, It seems to absorb the bitter and nutralize the taste, It worked for me when I made a base for rice with way to much menthi Indian spice and the bitterness was unbearable, It worked for me and I hope this helps you to! I also added a little vinagar and sugar.

How do I remove bitter flavor from lime rind in soup?

5 Answers5

Linked