Blending full limes/lemons?

I’ve used a full lime and a full orange before. I wouldn’t recommend it tbh, the pith is very bitter and it’s not a pleasant experience. Evidently there are some recipes where it works apparently, but I haven’t found one.

Just zest it, and then peel it. Use the zest and the fruit, discard the bitter peel.

If you’re curious to try something somewhat similar, try yuzu-koshō - fermented yuzu peel and chilis. Extremely salty but great flavor. Or just use zest. But yeah, blindly using a whole fresh citrus fruit (especially a lime) sounds super bitter.

There are a few tricks involved. And it comes down to proportions. My roasted salsa verde includes a whole lime. I just gave it a try one time and loved it, and haven't looked back.

Give it a good scrub. Trim off the top and bottom until you get to flesh - that little knot on top and bottom are pure pith and bitter. I cut it in half and char it along with the rest of the ingredients. And for an entire half sheet pan of produce (tomatillos, peppers, onions, garlic), a max of 2 small limes. But I start with one, taste and adjust. Honestly, once it's cooked, my regular old Oster beehive blender hasn't had any problem with it.

Typically I do one whole charred lime and juice from another (fresh). If I'm doing a big batch, I'll do 2 (charred), but go slow. You can definitely taste it, it adds a citrus punch, plus bitterness, which I think is a lovely note as long as it's gentle. I have added too much whole lime in the past, and not only was the bitterness too much, but the citrus dominated the palate. Letting it sit a couple days helped, but adding a bit more pepper/onion helped, too.

Thanks for asking this, needed this info today