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Sopa de lima
Lime and chicken soup
Mérida's clear chicken broth scented with sweet lime, with shredded chicken and crisp tortilla strips
Sopa de lima is the soup Mérida is proud of: a clear, golden chicken broth lightly spiced with oregano, allspice and clove, sharpened with a sofrito of tomato and green pepper and perfumed by the lima, a fragrant, mild Yucatán citrus. Restaurants around the main square serve it at lunch with a heap of crisp fried tortilla strips that soften as you eat. Lima is almost impossible to buy elsewhere, so this version uses ordinary lime plus a little orange or grapefruit juice to mimic its floral, less sour taste. Serve with extra lime slices and a fiery habanero salsa on the side. Chef's tip: fry the tortilla strips just before serving and add them at the table, so they still crunch.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 2 ¼ lb chicken legsbone-in
- 10 ½ cups water
- 1 head garlichalved across
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp salt
For the sofrito
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 white onionfinely chopped
- 1 green pepperfinely chopped
- 2 tomatoesfinely chopped
- 1 habanero chilli (optional)whole, pricked once
For the citrus
- 3 limesjuiced; peel 2 wide strips of zest first
- 3 tbsp orange or grapefruit juicewith the lime, stands in for Yucatán lima
To serve
- 6 corn tortillascut into thin strips
- ¾ cup vegetable oilfor frying
- 1 handful corianderchopped
- 8 lime slices (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 2 ¼ lb chicken legs, 10 ½ cups water, ½ white onion, 1 head garlic, 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 4 allspice berries, 2 whole cloves and 2 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, skim, then cook gently until the chicken reaches 165°F and falls from the bone.
45 minStep 2: Lift out the chicken, then strain the broth; you need about 1.8 litres. Shred the meat and discard skin and bones.
Step 3: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the cleaned pot over a medium heat. Fry 1 white onion and 1 green pepper until soft, then add 2 tomatoes and cook until they collapse into a thick sauce.
10 minStep 4: Pour in the broth, add 1 habanero chilli and the strips of lime zest, and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove the zest and the habanero. Don't simmer the zest longer: it turns the broth bitter, which is the most common mistake with this soup.
5 minStep 5: Add the shredded chicken and heat through. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the juice from 3 limes and 3 tbsp orange or grapefruit juice. Taste for salt; it should be bright and fragrant, not sharply sour.
Step 6: Heat ¾ cup vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium-high heat and fry 6 corn tortillas in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and salt lightly.
6 minStep 7: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a pile of tortilla strips, 1 handful coriander and 8 lime slices.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sopa de lima take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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