From fresh seafood to luxurious pasta and heavenly desserts—using lemons and limes in your cooking will make your food sing.

A squeeze of lemon juice can bring a dull sauce or lacklustre soup to life as its tartness cuts through and brings out flavor in a subtler (and healthier) way than salt. Smaller, sharper, but more intensely fragrant than lemons, limes work best with exotic, spicy food. Some dishes call for the sharp, clear lift of lemon, at other times the richer fragrance of lime is more appropriate. They are both perfect as an antidote to the heat of fresh chile or pungent garlic, and the best of friends to herbs and olive oil, roast meat, and freshly grilled seafood. Their brightness is also perfect in sweet, buttery desserts. Try a host of recipes including Lemon, Mushroom, and Tarragon Arancini, Pork Dumplings in Lime-leaf Broth, Oven-baked Lemon Fennel, or Lime and Chile Sweet Potatoes. Ursula also investigates the history and culture of lemons and limes, their health-enhancing benefits, and explains how to grow your own.