Preserved Lemons..a tutorial

If you have ever tried good North African cuisine, specifically Moroccan....you will be familiar with an absolutely indispenable ingredient in their preparation. I'm speaking of course about preserved lemons....it would be impossible to impart the flavors of this item to a dish with any substitution.

 

That being said, they are also outrageously expensive (if you're lucky enough to find them) ...I saw one lemon being sold for $7.95. Needless to say if we're going to cook Moroccan, we'd better learn to preserve our own lemons. I did a batch yesterday, so I guess now would be a good time to talk everyone through it.

 

We'll start with the essentials..basically all that is required is a sterilized jar, lemons and good kosher or sea salt. You'll notice I add some mediterranean spices to mine, just because that is the cuisine in which they will be used. My extras include cinnamon, assorted peppercorns, coriander seeds (just a few), bay leaf and some whole cloves.

 

 

Scrub the lemons under cool water and pat dry, then trim off the bud ends.

 

 

I then like to quarter mine, or cut into 8ths if they are large lemons. There are several schools of thought on this, and you may find traditionalist saying "don't cut all the way through the lemon...cut it so you can salt and then put the whole lemon in the jar" This is nothing more than personal preference, or esthetics. I cut mine smaller so I can pack more into one jar. Being the cheap S.O.B. that I am, it makes good fiscal sense.

 

 

Cut the rest of your lemons and remove as many seeds as you can, then place in a non-reactive bowl and top with sea or kosher salt. Here I used about 2/3 cup of coarse sea salt.

 

 

Toss the lemons and salt well, and  have your spices ready if using...place about 1/4 inch of salt in the sterile jar and then begin packing the lemons in. Pack as tightly as you can..the object is to get the juice out of the lemons. Alternate with the spices . You may need about 4 or 5 extra lemons here...cut them and juice them so that after you're done packing, you'll have enough juice to cover the lemons in the jar.

 

 

 

Yes, all those lemons did fit into that little jar.

 

 

I also like to label and date mine so there is no confusion. Now we cover the lemons with the extra juice, seal the jar tightly and leave it at room temp for a month. Shake the jar gently at least once a day to distribute the salt and spices. After 30 days, you may refrigerate, but it is not necessary ..if it makes you feel better go ahead. You can also pour a thin layer of olive oil over the lemons first if you like to help seal a little more. These lemons will last at least a year, and more than likely much longer than that.

 

When you use them you may want to use the pulp, or just the rind sliced up thinly...it's up to you, experiment and have fun!

 

 

Another reason to make some preserved lemon