Preserved Lemons

Part of that stocking up haul was a case of six half-gallon jars.  The original intent was to store beans or rice when I could only find a 2 lb bag, which is too much for a quart jar.  Then the lady at the hardware store mentioned making pickles in them.  I still have one jar of sauerkraut left, and don't plan to make kimchi this year, but I could pickle something else.

I've considered making preserved lemons before, but I didn't have a jar I wanted to dedicate to them.  Popular in Moroccan and other North African cuisines, they're a step up from lemon zest for savory dishes.  They're also hard to find and stupid pricey compared to the cost of the ingredients.  The process is easy, and I have pickling salt.

You don't actually need pickling/canning salt to make these.  What you do need is a salt without iodine, chlorine, or anti-caking agents.  Most recommend Diamond Crystal Kosher salt.  I do have that, but I bought the canning salt last year when I had high hopes of canning home-grown pickles that never materialized.  Might as well use it.

So two ingredients, lemons (preferably organic) and salt.  There's a small chance you'll need lemon juice if your lemons don't produce enough.

Now for the big question...why?  What would you use these for?  How do you use them in recipes?  Ok, that's three questions.  You don't just drop a whole one of these into a soup or whatever.  Generally, you chop them up to add to soups, tagines, stews, salads, or dips.  It's when you want something salty and lemony.  They can even be added to drinks, including lemonade.  And you do rinse off the brine before using, or even soak them in water the night before for less saltiness.  I started this batch early enough to use some in various recipes during Passover.

*Lemons
*Diamond Crystal or Pickling salt
*extra lemon juice if needed

1.  Prepare your container.  Glass is best because it is both non-reactive with acid and won't absorb flavors, like plastic does.  Wash thoroughly with soap and hot water.  If the container is too big to be put in a pot of boiling water for 8 minutes, run it through the dishwasher.  You want to eliminate all competing bacteria and yeasts.  Wash the lid well with hot soapy water, but you don't have to sterilize it.

2.  Wash your lemons.  Yes, even if they're organic.  You don't know where they've been since they left the tree.  And if you're getting them out of your own back yard, birds and bugs have probably been all over them.

3.  Trim the lemons.  Cut off the stem and blossom ends, just the hard outer rind part.  Stand up a lemon and cut into quarters, leaving the bottom half inch or so uncut.  The lemon should open like a flower.  Repeat with all lemons.

4.  Fill the lemons with salt.  Using a spoon, pour a generous amount of salt into the cut sections.  Place the lemon in the prepared jar and move onto the next.

5.  Fill the jar.  After about three lemons, sprinkle a layer of salt on top, then continue with another layer of lemons until they are all salted.

6.  Press down on the lemons with some kind of sanitized dowel or masher.  I used this wooden tool I have to press pie dough into muffin cups.  Get the lemons to release their juice until it comes up to the level of the rinds.  If necessary, wait half an hour and go at it again, once the salt has had a chance to soften the fruit a little.  If you can't get the natural juice to cover the peels, add some, either bottled or from additional lemons.

7.  Put a lid on the jar and store it at room temperature, away from sunlight, with something underneath to catch any possible ferment overflow.  Check on the jar every day at the beginning, just to make sure there isn't any mold, low levels of juice, or lemon-splosions.  Mine kept floating, so I had to push them down and stir a bit.  If too much lemon juice evaporates, add a little more bottled juice and tighten the lid better.  Allow to ferment 4-6 weeks, then store in the refrigerator up to 6 months.  You know they're ready when the rinds have changed their texture into sort of a firm jelly with a tangy taste.  If unsure, cut off a bit, rinse, and taste.  When you like them, they're done.

8.  To use, rinse lemon thoroughly.  Either place whole into soups or chop the rind finely for nearly any other use.  You can stick large pieces in a roasting chicken, scatter strips on roasting vegetables, grind it into a purée for use in dips, and just about any other use when you would normally add lemon zest.  The brine can be reused, or used itself as an ingredient.

Difficulty rating  π