Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are delicious, easy to prepare and even easier to give as a gift. Even better? You can apply this preservation technique to most citrus.
Ingredients
- 6–8 lemons for preserving
- 4–6 lemons for juicing (or enough to make ½ to
- 1 cup lemon juice)
- ¾ cup kosher salt
- Optional: bay leaves, peppercorns, chili peppers 1 wide-mouthed 1-quart canning jar, washed and sterilized
Instructions
- Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush under cold running water, then dry thoroughly.
- Stand a lemon, stem end down, on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut down into it as if you were going to cut it in half, but stop about ½ inch above the stem. Now make a perpendicular cut, forming an X in the lemon; once again stop ½ inch short of the stem, so the lemon is quartered but still intact.
- Pour the salt into a large bowl. Holding the lemon over the bowl, spread the four quarters open and pack in as much salt as you can, allowing the excess to fall back into the bowl. The goal is to pack up to 2 tablespoons per lemon.
- Pack the salted lemons into your jar, pushing them down hard so they’re squeezed in tightly.
- Put the lid on the jar and leave it on the counter overnight. The next day, use a clean spoon to push the lemons down and add another salted lemon if they couldn’t all be added at first.
- If necessary, juice the remaining lemons a few at a time, pouring the juice into the jar until it is filled to the brim and the salted lemons are completely submerged. Put the lid back on the jar, turning it until it’s just finger tight. Place the jar in a dark spot, but not in the refrigerator. For the next week, turn and shake the jar once a day to redistribute the salt that has settled to the bottom. Add more lemon juice if you notice that the lemons are no longer submerged.
- After one month, your preserved lemons are ready to use!
Notes
