How To Make Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemons are common in Middle Eastern cuisine, it is also known as “country lemon” or leems.

The rind of the preserved lemon can be used in stews and sauces, and are the key ingredient to many Moroccan dishes like stews and tagines, the flavor is mildly tart but intensely lemony.

If you have never had preserved lemons, you are in for a Moroccan taste sensation, but you will have to wait a month, then you can enjoy them for about a year, in amazing recipes, for inspirational recipes, see my sister blog:

http://thecookscupboard.com

Choose pretty jars to store the lemons in, so you can display them on your kitchen shelves, a little bit of sunshine in the winter.

For the best tasting preserved lemons, you will need lemons with thick skins, as you only use the skins in cooking. I am usually, sneaky, and put any squeezed lemons we  have recently ‘used’ into the jar, which works out  perfectly,  as we use lots of lemons, waste not and all that!!

This First method uses salt and lemon juice as the preservatives, and when you come to use the lemon for cooking, gently, rinse it before you use it . I use this method, as I like the idea of the natural process of the lemon juice.

What You Need

4 Large Lemons with a good outside skin, not too many blemishes
A tablespoon of salt for each lemon
And access to the juice of 4 more lemons over the next few days

What To Do

First Method

Clean and sterilize a medium to large preserving jar or an ordinary jar. (see end of post for instructions) A wide neck preserving jar is ideal for this recipe, as you need to be able to get your hand at least inside the top bit of the jar to push and pack down the lemons.

Wash your lemons, then take a sharp knife and cut each lemon from the top to the bottom on the longest way, like quartering an apple.

Don’t cut all the way through, the quarters must be held in place by a little bit of skin at the bottom. Don’t stress it you happen to cut all the way through, just pop the pieces into the jar.

Gently prize the lemons open and fill the inside with salt, I hold my lemons over the jar, so I don’t lose any of the juice. This part is NOT exact science, so don’t stress if you have cut you lemons into quarters or the slat won’t stay in the lemon.

Just pop the lemons into the jar and add some more salt. If you have got some salt inside the lemon all the better.

This year I have used a few freshly squeezed lemon halves, they were left over from another dish and I didn’t want to waste them, so I popped them into the jar along with some whole lemons cut as above.

Add a sprinkle of salt over the top and inside the jar for luck, then put the top on and leave on the window ledge or on a shelf for 3-4 days. During this time the salt will draw out the juices from the lemons and the skins will soften.

After 3-4 days, push the lemons down into the jar and add enough fresh lemon juice to cover the lemons in the jar, even when they pop back up from being squashed down.
Put back the lid and leave for a month. don’t forget to rinse the lemon rind before using

2nd Method
Same preparation, but instead of adding lemon juice, which is made by dissolving salt in warm water and pouring into the jar, for each lemon you will need a table spoon of salt.

3rd Method
Don’t cut the lemon rinds os deep, pop them into a saucepan and cover with brine, 1 Tbsp for each lemon

Find an ovenproof plate that fits just inside the saucepan and weight this down, so the lemons don’t float
Bring the liquid to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 25 mins

Cool, drain off the liquid and pop the lemons into jars. You need to have them fits ‘snugly’ into the jars, then fill the spaces with oil, sunflower or vegetable will do, but olive oil is better flavour.

How To Sterilize Your Jars
If You Have A Dishwasher:
Wash the empty jar a normal, then pop it into a low oven for 1/2hr, so the jar gets hot enough to need an oven cloth to remove it.

If You Don’t Have A Dishwasher: (like me:))
Wash the empty jar is dishwashing detergent, rinse well. Then boil the kettle and CAREFULLY pour the boiling water over the outside and the inside the jar. Leave to cool then pop into the oven until hot enough to need an oven cloth to remove.

**Remember for both methods to let the jars cool down before touching them with your hands.**

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