Preserving Lemons Recipe Video
The distinctive texture and flavor of preserved lemons is essential to not only traditional Moroccan cooking, but also to the contemporary cooking of some of the best chefs in the South of France, Spain, England, and the USA.
As Paula Wolfert - the world famous author of many cookbooks on Mediterranean cuisines - notes, "their unique pickled taste and special silken texture cannot be duplicated with fresh lemon or lime juice, despite what some food writers have said."
Summary
Preparation Time15 MinServings12
Ingredients
12 lemons
1/2 cup salt, more if desired
Optional Safi mixture:
2 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
10 to 14 coriander seeds
8 to 12 black peppercorns
2 bay leaf
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, if necessary
EQUIPMENT:
Shallow bowl
Sterile 1-quart mason jar or 2 1 pint jars
Sharp knife
Directions
Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, then reshape the fruit.
Place 1 tablespoon salt on the bottom of the mason jar. Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice — not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.*) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.
Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days. To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired — and there is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.
Place 1 tablespoon salt on the bottom of the mason jar. Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice — not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.*) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.
Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days. To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired — and there is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.
