Thread resurrection! Nothing wrong with trial and error when making pickles or other preserves, so long as you adhere to the basic principle of using enough natural preservative, whether it be vinegar, sugar, salt or a combination of these to avoid spoilage. At the risk of giving away the identity of my alter ego, here's a "recipe" (quotation marks used because I rarely stick rigidly to recipes unless baking) that I posted long ago in another place. This one uses just salt and lime juice to keep it sound.
Most commercial lime pickles seem to be swimming in oil. However, I've been making an oil-free one for years, and it's delicious! Shameless adaptation of a Madhur Jaffrey recipe. As with all preserves, it's best to wait until there's a cheap glut of your main ingredient, so when you happen on a source of cheap limes, buy as many as you think you can deal with - this pickle improves with age and has been known to last up to ten years (when used sparingly - it tends not to last more than two in this household, and that's from a pretty big batch!). Here goes:
Apart from the limes, you'll need suitable jars for the pickle - avoid using metal lids if possible; Le Parfait or similar with glass lids and rubber seals are good. Other ingredients: fresh ginger, red or green chillies, bay leaves, salt, lime juice (best from fresh limes, but OK from a bottle). I won't specify precise quantities - that's up to your taste.
Rinse the limes in boiling water. This should remove any wax if present, and kills off any nasties. Cut the limes into eighths, and place a layer of them in the jar. Add a layer of julienne strips of chillies, ginger and bay leaves, then about a level tablespoon of salt, then repeat until you've filled the jar, pressing down the contents if necessary. The amount of salt used may seem excessive, but trust me, it mellows.
Top up the jar with lime juice to cover the other contents, and put the lid on firmly. Keep in a warm place for a fortnight or so, shaking the jar every couple of days, then put into your store cupboard. Job's a good'un. You can start tucking in about a month later, but it really does improve with keeping; if you run out of it within a year, just remember to make at least twice the quantity next time. No need to refrigerate after opening; it keeps OK in a cool larder for months after opening.
I've made variants of this recipe by adding a mixture of ground cardamoms/pepper/coriander/cumin/cloves/cinnamon - effectively a garam masala, but always prefer the basic recipe.
