pucker up!

Culinarily, there are some unique flavors that cannot be duplicated. When I had my first preserved lemon, I was blown away by the taste. How could an everyday ingredient be transformed so much by so little? The complexity of flavor that develops by simply packing this fruit with salt and letting it stew in its own juice is unusual and very surprising. Really, the biggest investment here is the time that you’ll have to wait once you set a jar of these babies up. And then the possibilities are endless…

Preserved Lemons

 
You need a lot of lemons for this recipe–and kosher salt. And that’s it. The lemons you choose will determine a lot. If their rinds are too thick, they’ll take longer to cure. If they’re too thin, you won’t have a lot of meat to work with. But they must be juicy, as well. Once they are “pickled,” you will mostly use the lemon peel, not the pulp, in your recipes. Look for large, sturdy lemons–I usually buy a large bag at Costco, and what I don’t use for this preserve, I’ll use in other recipes. 
 
 
Prepare a large, preferably rubber sealed jar, though it does not have to be sterile. Scrub the rinds of your lemons well in hot water–it’s important t0 clean them well and remove any wax. Using a sharp knife, cut the lemons in half, and then cut the halves again, but do not cut all the way through. Pack the inside of the lemons with kosher salt (don’t worry about how much) and then pack them tightly into the jar. Push down on the lemons continually as you add more to release the juice. 
 
 
Continue this way until the jar is completely packed, adding more salt to the jar as you go. The juice should come up to the top of the lemons–if not, add more juice. Let the jar sit on your counter and check it every day or so, turning it so the juices flow all around. For the first few days, as the juice releases, there will be more room in the jar. Add another lemon, or two, each day, stuffed with salt. Be sure to compress the lemons as much as possible.
 
 
Let the lemons stay on your counter for up to a week. The jar should then be placed in the refrigerator. To be sure to get optimal flavor, let the rinds cure for at least a month. They will then last in your fridge for about 6 months. Once you use them in a recipe, you’ll wonder how you ever did without…. Recipe? Well, I’m glad you asked! Stay tuned, as I  plan on featuring them in several dishes very soon.
 
 
Makes 1 Large Jar:


lots of lemons
kosher salt

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