Sopa de Lima (Yucatecan Lime Soup)

About This Recipe

Sopa de Lima is the quintessential soup of the Yucatán Peninsula — a clear, golden chicken broth perfumed with the juice and zest of the regional lima agria (a hybrid citrus close to a key lime), seasoned with roasted tomato, onion and charred chile, finished with shredded chicken and crispy fried tortilla strips. It is at once elegant and rustic, deeply flavored yet light, and unmistakably Yucatecan in its flavor profile. The lima agria — not a sweet lime or a Persian lime but a distinctly Yucatecan citrus — gives the soup its defining flavor. Outside the Yucatán, a combination of lime juice and sweet orange approximates it. The broth must be made from scratch with a proper chicken and aromatics; this is not a shortcut recipe. The char on the tomatoes and chiles adds a slight smokiness that distinguishes this soup from any other lime-based chicken soup in the world. Serve Sopa de Lima at the start of a Yucatecan feast — it traditionally precedes cochinita pibil or pollo pibil at special occasions and Sunday family meals. The crispy tortilla strips are added at the last moment, providing a contrasting crunch as the soup is eaten. Add avocado, fresh cilantro and a final squeeze of lime to finish each bowl.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1½ lbsbone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 quartswater
• 1 largewhite onion(half charred, half diced for garnish)
• 6 clovesgarlic(2 charred, 4 minced)
• 3roma tomatoes(charred)
• 1habanero or Xcatik chile(charred, halved (seeds removed for less heat))
• ⅓ cupfresh lime juice(plus 2 tbsp fresh orange juice)
• 1 tbsplime zest
• 1 tspMexican oregano
• ½ tspcumin
• salt and black pepper(to taste)
• 6corn tortillas(cut into strips and fried crispy)
• avocado, cilantro, lime wedges(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Simmer chicken with water, charred onion half, 2 charred garlic cloves, salt and oregano for 45 minutes until chicken is tender. Strain; shred the chicken. Return broth to pot.

2. 2

   Char and blend aromatics

   Char tomatoes, remaining garlic and the chile in a dry skillet until blackened in spots. Blend until smooth. Fry in 1 tablespoon oil in the pot for 3 minutes.

3. 3

   Season the broth

   Add the fried tomato mixture to the chicken broth. Add diced onion, cumin and lime zest. Simmer 10 minutes. Add lime and orange juice. Season generously with salt and pepper.

   Add lime juice off the heat or with minimal cooking — prolonged heat makes it bitter.

4. 4

   Fry the tortilla strips

   Fry tortilla strips in ½-inch vegetable oil at 375°F until golden and crispy, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately.

5. 5

   Serve

   Place shredded chicken in bowls. Ladle hot broth over. Top with fried tortilla strips, avocado slices, cilantro and a wedge of lime.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian version: use mushroom broth and replace chicken with roasted mushrooms.

• •

  Shrimp Sopa de Lima: use shrimp broth and add large raw shrimp in the last 3 minutes.

Storage

Broth keeps refrigerated up to 4 days (without tortilla strips and garnishes). Add fresh tortilla strips when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions