Preserved lemons appear in several Middle Eastern recipes, but once you try them you will think of all kinds of recipes where their punch of lemony essence will elevate the dish’s overall taste. These are particularly useful in the dead of winter or rainy seasons when opening a fresh jar smells the way a ray of sunshine would if it suddenly beamed into your kitchen.
Check out the original recipe by professional chef Silvia Fountaine. My version is for beginner cooks that may not have professional tools and canning jars on hand. NOTE: if no one has shown you how to sanitize a jar, this might not be a recipe to try on your own. The heat required for sanitizing is intense. You can purchase preserved lemons from most large grocers.
- 2 large lemons
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- Glass jar with tight fitting lid (like a jam jar and its lid)
- Spoon or other blunt long handled object to press lemons into a deeper compaction
Clean and then sanitize the jar to prevent contents from turning bad quickly due to bacteria in the jar before the lemons and salt are added.
Measure out the Kosher salt into a pinch bowl or other container that allows you to scoop up 1/4 teaspoon at a time.
Slice the whole lemons into 1/4-inch wide pieces. You will have assorted sizes of round circles that includes seeds. It is fine to leave the seeds in at this stage. Many of the seeds will dissolve down and the ones that don’t are easy to remove when you are ready to use the lemons.
You will use the end pieces of the lemons for the final layers in my version of this recipe; just set them aside for now.
Scatter 1/4 teaspoon of salt on the bottom of the clean and dry jar. Layer 1 lemon slice then about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt over and over until the jar is full.
Because I had small wooden mallet for tiny tarts, I used that to compress the slices but it is fine to use the back of a spoon to press the slices down deep into the jar. The compression allows you to add more slices and also releases some of the juice up to mix with the salt and create a brine. Add more lemon slices and salt. Press down again and add the lemon ends –each with a layer of salt on top– on top.
You want a really tightly packed jar with no space on top. If you need to add a third lemon, that’s fine. Just keep salting each layer.
Compact the slices and ends one more time and tightly screw down the lid.
Turn the jar upside down to check the seal. No liquid should seep* out of the lid. Store in a cool, dry place for two weeks. I usually store mine in a pantry and flip it upside down every 3-4 days.
After using the first time, store the opened jar in the refrigerator.
*If your jar and lid can’t get a seal that won’t leak, store it in the refrigerator for two weeks to complete the preservation process before using.