You're instructed to create lemonade when life throws you lemons, but lemons are used in a lot of other recipes, and a small lemon garnish would provide a zesty, brilliant taste to any of them. The same is true for limes; the choice of the citrus fruit to use depends on the flavours you choose to match it with. For instance, tacos nearly always include a lime wedge garnish, whereas seafood typically receives a splash of lemon juice before consumption.
Compared to limes, lemons have a stronger acidic taste. When you bite into a lemon, your entire mouth frequently goes into a tailspin, while lime juice is more "tart" than "sour." Having said that, if you intend to switch them, always begin by adding a small amount at a time and then modifying to taste.
There isn't a true way to switch one for the other; there isn't a ratio to adhere to or a tactic to use. However, a few factors may affect when and how you switch one out for the other. If the recipe's foundation is citrus fruit, you may be hesitant to completely replace one with the other. A margarita mixed with lemon juice, for instance, will taste far sourer than a typical margarita. Additionally, lemon poppyseed muffins cooked with lime juice may turn out to be sweeter than you expected.
When the citrus is used to complement the dish rather than to define it, the substitution works well. To add some acidity to the heavy cheese and meat in your nachos, you can pour some lemon juice over them. Or, to add a touch of vivid flavour to your seafood, drizzle some lime juice over your fresh oysters. That being said, every citrus fruit will offer a vibrant burst of acidity. Additionally, you can experiment with fresh grapefruit and orange juice. If you can't get your hands on limes, maybe an orange juice margarita may taste better than a lemon one. Or you might be pleasantly pleased if you drizzle some orange or grapefruit juice over your seafood.
