What to use instead of fresh lime juice
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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The sour in a cocktail or a dressing
Roughly 5-6% citric acid plus lime's own aromatic oils. The acid is what stops sugar and spirit tasting cloying, and the oils are what make it taste like lime.
Fresh lemon juiceRan out
1:1
Rounder and less bitter. A margarita made this way tastes correct and does not taste like a margarita.
Calamansi juiceRan out
1:1
More floral with a tangerine edge. The closest single stand-in for lime.
Half lemon juice, half orange juiceRan out
1:1 for the total volume, and cut the syrup by a quarter
Sweeter and softer, which is why the syrup has to come down or the drink is flabby.
Bottled lime juiceRan out
1:1
Harsher and slightly bitter from the preservative, with no aroma at all. The drink tastes sour without smelling of anything.
What doesn't work: White vinegar as the sour. It hits a similar pH, but acetic acid is volatile and burns the nose where citric acid tastes fruity, so the drink smells like a cleaning cupboard.
Acid that firms raw fish or lifts a finished dish
The acid denatures surface protein so ceviche turns opaque and firm. In a hot soup it goes in off the heat because the aroma cooks off in seconds.
Fresh lemon juiceRan out
1:1
Cures the fish identically. The leche de tigre tastes duller and less green.
Sour orange, or half lime and half orangeRan out
1:1
Sweeter and gentler on the fish, which is the Yucatan style. Needs 5 extra minutes to firm up.
CalamansiRan out
1:1
Firms the fish the same and gives a brighter perfume. Use it the day you squeeze it.
What doesn't work: Bottled lime juice for ceviche. It cures the fish, but it has been heat-treated, so the flavour is cooked and flat and the whole dish tastes of the bottle.