Preserved Lemons
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus at least 3 weeks' curing
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 9organic lemons
- Kosher salt
- 1heaping teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2bay leaves
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
115 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 884 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Scrub 3 to 5 organic lemons, enough to fit snugly in a medium jar with a tight-fitting lid (have 2 to 4 more ready on the side). Slice each lemon from the top to within ½ inch of the bottom, almost cutting them into quarters but leaving them attached at one end. Rub kosher salt over the cut surfaces, then reshape the fruit. Cover the bottom of the jar with more kosher salt. Fit all the cut lemons in, breaking them apart if necessary. Sprinkle salt on each layer.
- Step 2
Press the lemons down to release their juices. Add to the jar the peppercorns and bay leaves, then squeeze the additional lemons into the jar until juice covers everything.
- Step 3
Close the jar and let ripen at cool room temperature, shaking the jar every day for 3 to 4 weeks, or until the rinds are tender to the bite. Then store it in the refrigerator.
- Step 4
To use, remove a piece of lemon and rinse it. (Add more fresh lemons to the brine as you use them up.) The minced rind is added at the very end of cooking or used raw; the pulp can be added to a simmering pot.
Private Notes
Comments
I don't see that anyone answered you yet. It's really simple. Push the lemons down into the jar, leaving as little air as possible. Then squeeze the remaining lemons into the jar so the cut lemons are covered in juice. I really pack 'em in, so I manage to get more lemons in the jar and squeeze fewer to cover. Also, I prefer to use the hinged jars with the rubber gasket; the salty brine quickly corrodes the screw-on lids.
Made this and the lemons were overdone. (I live in Phoenix.) I asked my Middle Eastern grocer, chef what I did wrong. He said to pickle them for a shorter time. I just tasted the new batch...4 days on the counter and then into the fridge. They're really good!
try a slice in a gin and tonic instead of lime
My jar of lemons got really cloudy and I also noticed more air developed in the jar after I had filled it with lemon juice. Is the cloudy thing a fungus? Should I be worried? It’s been 4 weeks now that it’s been fermenting.
I tried a pint canning jar and I got four lemons in it, but then somehow the lemons expanded and took up so much room that I couldn’t get enough liquid to cover them even with the weight. So then I sterilized a quart widemouth canning jar and transferred. I added two more lemons and now I have two weights to keep them submerged and I have one lemon in reserve for more juice. It doesn’t quite fill up the quart jar, but I can screw a lid on it, which I couldn’t on the other and the weights are keeping the lemons submerged. I think it’s appropriate to say what is meant by a medium size jar when writing a recipe. I had thought that perhaps an 8 oz. jelly jar was a small and a pint was a medium, but it doesn’t seem to have worked out for me. we’ll see what happens from here.
OK, I went and I got the lemons and I bought some fermenting weights. My question is as follows. I will sterilize the jar because I always do. Will the glass weights survive sterilization because my inclination would be to sterilize the weight along with a jar. Glass should be able to withstand boiling water?
Hi Nancy glass will withstand boiling water as long as you don't shock it i.e. pour boiling water over a cold piece of glass. two or three steps inbetween will do: from cold get to a hot coffee temperature, then to temperature of soup cooking and voilá, you are there. Unless you have tempered glass, which will withstand any radical temperature changes I hope this helps your understanding Arne