Preserved Lemons
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 5:28pm

Ingredients




10 lemons, scrubbed very clean
1/2 cup kosher salt, plus more if needed
Extra fresh squeezed lemon juice, if needed

Preparation

1 Place 2 Tbsp of salt in the bottom of a sterilized mason jar. Cut off any protruding stems from the lemons, and cut 1/4 inch off the tip of each lemon. 2 Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half lengthwise, starting from the tip, but do not cut all the way- keep the lemon attached at the base. Make another cut in a similar manner, so now the lemon is quartered, but again, attached at the base. 3 Pry the lemons open and generously sprinkle salt all over the insides and outsides of the lemons. 4 Pack the lemons in the jar, squishing them down so that juice is extracted and the lemon juice rises to the top of the jar. Fill up the jar with lemons, make sure the top is covered with lemon juice. Add more fresh squeezed lemon juice if necessary. Top with a couple tablespoons of salt. 5 Seal the jar and let sit at room temperature for a couple days. Turn the jar upside down occasionally. Put in refrigerator and let sit, again turning upside down occasionally until the lemon rinds soften, around 3 weeks. 6 To use, remove a lemon from the jar and rinse thoroughly in water to remove salt. Discard seeds before using. Discard the pulp before using, if desired. 7 Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

About


Preserved lemons are often found in Middle Eastern and North African cooking. Meyer Lemons work best for this, as they are milder and preserve well, but you can use any type. You can also spice it up by adding cloves, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, or bay leaves.