In the bottom of a bowl go shredded chicken, strips of crisp fried tortilla, sautéed tomato, and one thin slice of lime. Pour in soup that has only just come to a boil, and the scent of citrus rises with the steam. Take a bite while the tortilla is still crunchy, before it softens in the broth. This is sopa de lima, a chicken soup scented with lime, a favorite in the eateries of Mérida, the capital of the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. In Spanish, "lima" is a citrus related to the lime. With ordinary supermarket limes, it comes out as a clean, bright bowl.
A soup scented with lime at the tables of Mérida
The Yucatán Peninsula has a food culture that is distinctive even within Mexico. Many dishes carry on Maya traditions, and cochinita pibil, pork roasted with spices and orange juice, is another specialty of the region. Sopa de lima is one of the signature soups of Yucatán. POSTA, a Mexican news site based in Mérida, explains that the lima, a citrus that symbolizes the region, gives this soup its distinctive flavor.
The way to eat it is simple. Put shredded chicken in a bowl, pour in hot soup, and top with fried tortilla strips, thin slices of lima, and chopped habanero. Each person adjusts the heat on the plate. The soup itself is not spicy, so the Yucatecan way is to add habanero at the table, as much as you like.
The Yucatán "lima" is a citrus slightly different from the limes you see elsewhere. Royal Resorts, which runs resorts on the Mexican Caribbean, describes it as "a type of fragrant, sweet lime" used in this region and says it is sold in markets on the Caribbean coast of Mexico and in Yucatán.
A famous cook's recipe, brought to the home kitchen
This recipe is based on the proportions that Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, a cook known as a leading authority on Mexican cuisine, presented in AARP's Spanish-language edition in the United States. The chicken breast is simmered in the soup and shredded, sautéed tomato and bell pepper are prepared separately, and each serving is assembled in the bowl. Because you combine the fillings in the bowl and pour the hot soup in last, the crispness of the tortilla and the scent of lime last until the moment it reaches your mouth.
In this recipe the lime is not simmered in the soup pot. The juice and the slices go into the bowl just before eating. Citrus peel turns bitter if cooked long, so this is a sensible method for keeping only the aroma. In some Mexican homes, thin lime slices are put into the pot of soup to pass on their aroma. In that case too, do not simmer them too long once the aroma has transferred.
In Muñoz Zurita's recipe, "recado" is dissolved into the soup to season it. Recado is the general name for the spice blends and pastes that are essential to Yucatecan cooking, and there are many kinds depending on the dish. It is hard to find outside Mexico, so this version is a home-cook adjustment that makes up the aroma with dried oregano and cloves.
Ingredients (serves 6)
This version is adapted to ingredients that are easy to find.
Do not add all 6 tbsp of juice at once. Start with 1 tbsp per bowl and add to taste, which prevents making it too sour. If you cannot find limes, lemon works too, with a somewhat different aroma and more acidity.
Habanero is a very hot chile. Wear disposable gloves when cutting it, and do not touch your eyes or face afterward. Do not put it in the bowls of children or anyone who dislikes heat; serve it on a separate plate.
How to make sopa de lima
Prep takes about 20 minutes, and simmering the chicken, frying the tortillas, and finishing takes about 40 minutes. Frying the tortillas while the chicken simmers keeps things moving.
When you pour boiling soup into the bowls, set the bowls on a flat surface first and pour gently with a ladle. Leave the frying oil out of children's reach until it has cooled completely after you turn off the heat.
Keeping the lime's aroma without bitterness
What to watch for in sopa de lima is the bitterness of lime. If citrus peel sits in hot soup for long, bitterness comes out of the white pith. Keep the thin lime slice in each bowl to 1 per person, and the safe way is not to put it in the pot until the end of the meal.
If you want the aroma of lime in the pot of soup, put in 2–3 slices, boil for only 3–5 minutes, and take them out right away. If you leave them in, the longer they sit the more bitter it gets.
You can use store-bought tortilla chips in place of the tortillas. However, many are quite salty, so go a little easier on the salt in the soup. Frying them yourself brings out the corn aroma more clearly, and the texture is lighter when they soak up the soup.
Tortilla strips keep their crunch longer after the soup is poured if you let them sit on a rack for about 5 minutes after frying so the oil settles, rather than using them straight out of the oil.
With thigh meat, with more vegetables: ways to adapt
If you use chicken thighs instead of breast, you get more flavor and fat than with breast, and a richer soup. Adding carrot and celery as it simmers brings in vegetable broth for a gentler taste.
To add heat, instead of slicing the habanero you can put one whole habanero in the pot of soup, simmer about 5 minutes, and take it out. This way the aroma goes into the soup with less heat. If you are not used to handling habanero, it is safest just to serve it on a separate plate.
How to eat it
Start eating as soon as the soup is poured. First while the tortillas are crisp, then when they have soaked up the soup and softened. Drop in habanero a little at a time, and the heat layers over the lime aroma so you can keep going to the end without tiring of it.
If you want to cook more of Yucatán, pair it with cochinita pibil, pork roasted with achiote and orange juice. Panuchos (in Japanese), fried tortillas topped with black beans and fillings, are another taste from the same Yucatán street stalls.
Frequently asked questions
Can I substitute lemon?
You can make it with lemon, but the aroma changes and the acidity is a little stronger. Whichever you use, add the juice a little at a time and taste.
What if I can't find tortillas?
You can crush store-bought tortilla chips and use those. They are already salted, so go easy on the salt in the soup.
Can I make it ahead?
Refrigerate the soup, the shredded chicken, and the sautéed tomato in separate containers. I cannot give a clear storage time, so eat it up soon. Prepare the tortillas and the lime just before eating.
Is it spicy?
The soup itself has no chile in it, so it is not spicy. The heat is adjusted only with the habanero served on a separate plate.
Sources
- Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, "Sopa de lima de Yucatán," AARP en Español, published 19 November 2010. (accessed and checked 22 October 2026) https://www.aarp.org/espanol/cocina/recetas/info-11-2010/sopa_de_lima_de_yucatan.html
- Adity Cupil, "Sopa de Lima: el sabor cítrico de Yucatán," POSTA México, published 11 July 2024. (accessed and checked 22 October 2026) https://www.posta.com.mx/mexico/sopa-de-lima-el-sabor-citrico-de-yucatan/vl1592312
- Royal Resorts, "Royal Recipes: Sopa de Lima." (accessed and checked 22 October 2026) https://www.royalresorts.com/blog/?p=53576
