Moroccan Preserved Lemons
Servings 12
- 8 medium lemons, preferably organic or unsprayed
- 1/2 cup kosher or sea salt, (not iodized)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice from two lemons
- Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush and dry them off.
- Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there’s a hard little piece of the stem attached. From the other end of the lemon, make a large cut by slicing lengthwise downward, stopping about 1-inch (3 cm) from the bottom, then making another downward slice, so you’ve incised the lemon with an X shape.
- Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don’t be skimpy with the salt: use about 1 tablespoon per lemon. Depending on the size of the lemons, you may not use all the salt.
- Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, squeezing them in as tightly as possible to get the juices flowing. You can add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf or two, a dried chili, some peppercorns, or a cinnamon stick if you want. (Or a combination of any of them, or leave them out.) Add the juice to two lemons
- Cover and let stand overnight in a cool place, but not the refrigerator.
- The next day do the same, pressing the lemons down, encouraging them to release more juice as they start to soften. Repeat for a 2-3 days until the lemons are completely covered with liquid. If your lemons aren’t completely submerged, add additional freshly-squeezed lemon juice until they are completely submerged.
- After one month, when the preserved lemons are soft, they’re ready to use. Store the lemons in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for at least 6 months. Rinse before using to remove excess salt.
Notes
To use: Remove lemons from the liquid and rinse. Split in half and scrape out the pulp. Slice the lemon peels into thin strips or cut into small dices. You may wish to press the pulp through a sieve to obtain the tasty juice, which can be used for flavoring as well, then discard the innards.