- 1 1/2 lbs. of organic lemons
- 2 c. kosher salt
-
1 qt. canning jar
Hi lovelies!
I confess, before dating a Dominican, I rarely thought much of lemons or limes. I thought the latter was just a complement to sweet iced tea. Flash forward two years, and now I dress every dish with some touch of it. Concocting a salad? Squeeze in a drop of lime. Roasting vegetables? Throw in some lemon at the end to brighten the flavors.
It turns out that all long, the two juices are packed with Vitamin C. What a great surprise! This winter has brought a bevy of beautiful citrus too, so take the opportunity to stock up.
Inspired by Food52′s and Nourishing Kitchen’s posts, I’m excited to make my own preserved lemons, and keep them in stock. And you can’t go wrong in making them, really. Clean off all ingredients and tools, slice the fruit, and fill it up with good Kosher salt. Wow. (Waiting for it to ferment is part of it too, but Shh.) You can throw in fresh sprigs of spices, though I’m excited enough just to do lemons.
This recipe makes for a great accessory to savory dishes. Not only do they add a punch of bright color, but they add a touch of mellow, lemony sourness. The fun part is eating the entire fruit, even the rind!
I shared this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Traditional Tuesday, and Healthy 2day Wednesday, and can’t wait to share with you too! Here are the simple steps:
1. Clean off the lemons, and sterilize the container (so nothing ferments but the fruit). Layer a half-inch of salt into the bottom of the jar.
2. On each lemon, neatly slice off the pointed ends. Now without slicing through, quarter the lemon (it should look like a budding flower with four petals). Using one hand to keep the lemon upright, use the other hand to drop mounds of salt into the middle of the lemon. Place the fruit into the jar, aiming to keep the lemon upright.
3. Repeat with as many lemons as you can squeeze in the container, using the salt to fill crevices in between. When the jar is full to the brim, close the canister and let ferment for three to four weeks. Whew! That was fun and quick. According to Food52, the jar should last for months, once rerigerated.
8 Comments
I love to use lemons for flavouring. My wife and I recently started using lemons on veggies instead of anything else. Such a simple thing to do but it gets the kids to eat them up. I’ve never tried lemons in salt though. I’m curious how they will turn out. Great post!
Thanks Chris, I hope you and your family enjoy the preserved lemons!
Hi, Just curious and feel kinda stupid in asking this question, but with that much salt in the jar, wouldn’t the lemon be totally full of salt. Do you just take the lemon out and rinse off the salt and use it like you would a fresh lemon. Cannot imagine that it will not be totally salty!
Thanks!
Hi Gail! Not a silly question at all. Yes, I rinse the salt off the lemons, then use their mellowed, sunny flavor to brighten up dishes. The great thing is that now each lemon’s rind and pith aren’t nearly as bitter as before, and you can eat the whole darn thing in a dish.
Wow! Who knew lemons could look this gorgeous! Ever since I started cooking with dried Persian limes, I’ve been meaning to make preserved lemons but it always seemed like too much work. After reading this post I’m definitely going to give it a try. You make it sound so easy!
So glad to hear Samar!
I love this! Thanks for posting.
So happy to hear!
I’m itching to try out other citrus, too. Mainly limes!