Preserved Lemons

BN’s brother has a Meyer lemon tree. They are always ripe and abundant right as we are visiting for Christmas – the last 2 years we have taken home a big bag full.

My most exotic cookbook is Arabesque: a taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon by Claudia Rodin. There used to be a Mediterranean grocery store near us, and I bought some unusual items there once to make one of the recipes in the book, including preserved lemons. The book includes directions for how to make your own, but it’s important that they not be waxed and so the grocery store ones are out. But with home-grown lemons, preserving your own makes sense. They are kind of in the same category as olives – they go well in salads, and I even tried them on pizza.

Lemons Preserved in Salt and Lemon Juice
from Arabesque by Claudia Rodin

4 lemons
4 tablespoons sea salt
Juice of 4 additional lemons, or as needed to cover the prepared lemons in the jar.

Wash a large jar in lots of hot soapy water and rinse well. Make sure your lemons are clean as well and remove any stems. From the blossom end, cut the lemon in quarters most of the way through but leave the stem end intact. Stuff each lemon with a tablespoon of salt, and squeeze shut. Put them in the jar and press down so they fit compactly.

Put the jar lid on and leave at room temp for 3 to 4 days. The lemons will disgorge some juice and become softened. Open the jar and pour in additional lemon juice to cover. Store in the fridge – the longer they are left, the better the flavor. (If a piece of lemon is not covered, it develops a white mold that is harmless and just needs to be washed off.)

Before using, scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds, and rinse the lemon peel to get rid of excess salt.