These appear in many Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes, as well as elsewhere. They add a lemony tartness and imbue dishes with lemon fragrance as well, but they are subtler. Typically, only the skin is used with the pulp being discarded. Some preparations call for pureeing the skin, which adds a silkiness to the dish. Use them for a dressing for salad, or add to a braise of chicken, lamb, or beef with a little cinnamon or curry, or chop up and add some herbs for a quick topping for seared fish. They keep for a very long time, patiently waiting to add spark to your meals. This is another thing I made with a case of Meyer lemons someone gave me once. You can use Eureka and Lisbon lemons as well. For the salt, it is important to use a good salt with larger crystals and without additives. I find Diamond Crystal Kosher salt works quite well. This is the flaked salt in the 3 pound box, not the fine salt or the ice cream salt. There are quite a few variations, this is mine. When I make mine, I do a dozen lemons at a time. This is a scaled down version. The bay and peppercorns add depth to the lemons, echoing the lemon flavor and adding a little floral hit.
INGREDIENTS:4 lemons plus at least 2 more for juice (lemons must be un-waxed!)
6-7 tablespoons salt
-Optional-
1 bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
METHOD:
Get a jar just large enough for the lemons, and sterilize it and the top with boiling water. Do not dry, just allow to air dry.
Wash the lemons well with warm water. If you are going to use the bay and peppercorns, give them a quick dip in boiling water-30 seconds or less.
Set them on a paper towel to dry.
Sprinkle the bottom of the jar with a tablespoon of salt.
Cut the stem end of the lemons flat. Then, cut from the tip down almost through, stopping about a half inch from the bottom. Rotate the lemon and repeat so you have four equal quarters.
Pack the lemon with a tablespoon of salt, then put into the jar, pushing it down. Repeat with the remaining three lemons, sprinkling salt between the layers of lemons, and squashing them down firmly so they give off some juice. If using the bay and pepper, slip the bay leaf between the layers and sprinkle in the peppercorns.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt over the tops of the lemons, and then squeeze in lemon juice to fill up the container.
Put the top on and put the lemons in a cool dark place.
After a day, use a clean stainless steel spoon to push the lemons down again. Be sure they are submerged. Repeat two more days, adding lemon juice if needed to cover the lemons.
Move to the refrigerator after three days and store for 3-4 weeks before using. Keep in the refrigerator. The lemons will probably develop a white film on the surface and the liquid will become viscous. This is as it should be.
When ready to use a lemon, just fish the lemon out of the jar using something non-reactive and clean and rinse off the lemon you are using. Preserved lemons keep several months in the refrigerator.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
Eureka and Lisbon lemons work, but I think Meyer lemons work best, and are the closest to the lemons used in Morocco I have read about. (Because Meyer lemons are less acidic than the others, do not skimp on the salt as it acts as the preservative. If you use the other type of lemons, the higher acid content will help with preservation.) The pulp is normally thrown out, but you can use it where something salty is called for. The skin is usually rinsed before usage. I have also use this recipe for limes to good effect, although you want to find limes that are juicy and not rock hard. If you find limes that are ripe-turning yellow-all the better.
Yield: 4 lemons
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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