Preserved lemons
One of my greatest loves is discovering new foods and flavors. You would think with our globalized world there is not much to discover anymore. But fortunately, there are still corners of the culinary realm that have remained unnoticed so far. Providing me with the joyous moment of discovering a new flavor – tart, zesty and lemony- preserved lemons!!
My mother introduced me to preserved lemons. She lives in Portugal where Lemons can be picked on the side of the road. So it makes total sense to stuff as many as possible into a jar with salt, leave them for a month or two, and then when the lemon season is over, you can pull out a jar and start adding that beloved Zinng to the food.
These lemons are Lacto-fermented. Fermenting is an ancient technique for preserving foods. It is a process of converting carbohydrates to alcohol or, in this case, into lactic acids. This process occurs through the action of certain yeasts or bacteria under anaerobic conditions (without oxygen).
Preserved lemons can be found in many cuisines along the Mediterranean from North Africa to the Middle east. It is often associated with Maroccan cuisine where it is added to Tagines. It is also used as a condiment or added to salads and desserts. I personally like to blend them into a paste, and then use the paste as a condiment for vegan chillis, Currys, rice and potato dishes.
How to preserve lemons
The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. All you need is lemons and salt and a recipient to seal it in. Of course, you can make it more intricate by adding different herbs and spices into the mix. Once you get addicted you can start experimenting!
I made a few different batches. One I kept simple, just lemons and salt. to the others, I added a few springs of rosemary, thyme and chilly. And I must admit part of it was for the aesthetics. It just looked so incredibly beautiful all packed together in a jar.
Preserved Lemons
Ingredients
- 6 Lemons organic
- 6 tbsp Salt kosher or Sea salt
Instructions
- cut the lemons in quarters – leaving aprox. 1 cm atached.
- pour 1 Tablespoon of salt onto the exposed flesh of each lemon
- stuff the lemons into a sterilized jar squeezing them as you go to compact the lemons and extract the juice. You should have enough juice to cover the lemons. If there is not enough juice, add freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can add spices and herbs in between the layers of lemons.
- seal the jar and leave it for at least 30 days (it might also take longer) in a preferebly warm place.
- No need to refrigerate after opening. It will keep up to one year on the counter.