Lima Liver

Don’t let the name fool you. There’s no liver anywhere near this recipe. Lima liver is a classic vegetarian mock chopped liver spread from the Jewish deli tradition, blending cooked lima beans with hard-boiled eggs, sauteed onions, and ground nuts into a savory, spreadable paste.

Everything goes into the blender and gets pulsed to a thick, slightly chunky consistency. The sauteed onions bring a deep, caramelized sweetness, the hard-boiled eggs add richness, and the ground nuts give it that slightly grainy texture that mimics real chopped liver.

Blend just until spreadable, not smooth. You want some texture here, not baby food.

Kitchen Tips

• Saute the onions until they’re deeply golden. Pale onions won’t give you enough flavor to sell the “liver” illusion
• Cook the lima beans until very soft so they blend easily
• Start with less salt and add more after blending. The flavors shift once everything is combined
• Serve on crackers, rye bread, or matzo with a good kosher dill pickle on the side

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of schmaltz (chicken fat) or olive oil for a richer, more traditional texture
• Use walnuts as the ground nut for the closest flavor to real chopped liver
• Stir in a pinch of black pepper and a dash of paprika for color