Well, I must admit that I didn’t even know that my latest favorite ingredient even existed until a few weeks ago (though it did get tagged as one of Sara Moulton’s Top Picks at the recent Fancy Food Show).

A forwarded email from Shanley Farms came floating into my inbox at the end of August, explaining about something called Finger Limes. Huh? My eyes skimmed over the text and caught on the phrase “citrus caviar.” Double huh??

Well, having finally experienced these micro-citrus gems of delight, all I can say is “Finger limes, where have you been all my life?”

Native to Australia, these limes are indeed the size and shape of a finger, a pinky to be exact. When you cut them open, you’ll find that all the little “lime pockets” are spherical, and their membrane is just tough enough so you can gently squeeze them out. Once you taste them, however, is when the fun really begins.

The Shanley Farms website explains it perfectly: “Finger Limes are prized by chefs because the interior pulp has a caviar-like appearance and a delightful lemony lime taste with a pop rock texture.”

Yes, caviar meets citrus meets pop rocks. Molecular gastronomy a la Mother Nature! Think about the little orange roe that sits atop California Rolls – how it gives your teeth just a little resistance before it lightly pops. Same goes for finger limes, except when these pop, you get a micro burst of lemon-lime flavor.

So far, my favorite use has been atop salmon sashimi – the pop of citrus is a perfect balance to the rich, sweet fish. Other suggested uses have been with raw oysters, abalone sashimi, atop something almost too cloying sweet like frosted mini cream puffs, or – and you knew this was coming – off-the-chart tequila shots.

Granted, finger limes aren’t cheap – the Shanley website is offering them at $20 for just six ounces – but a little goes a long way and makes a great impact!