Preserved Lemons
(from Cooking Moroccan)
First, see how many lemons will fit into your jar. For the recipe you will need that much plus half of that for the juicing. Wash lemons thoroughly.
Cut lemons from the stem end into quarters, almost to the base. You just want to open them up. Then fill them with sea salt.
After each layer add 1 tablespoon more salt into the jar.
Juice the remaining lemons and pour into the jar. I’ve put 6 lemons into the jar and then juiced 3 more. Add a few black peppercorns, a few bay leaves and one star anise. Pour boiling water to fill the jar to the top. Make sure the jar is placed on a wooden surface while pouring water to prevent it from cracking. Put the skin of one juiced lemon on top so if the mold appears you can discard it. Seal and store in a dark cold place for 4 weeks. For the duration of the first week gently shake the jar once daily. This will clear the cloudy liquid.
See you in four weeks to show you where to use them!
Note: This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging. Host is Astrid from Paulchen’s Foodblog.
9 comments
Monika says:
Sep 19, 2011
Već se neko vrijeme spremam napraviti ove limune. Obožavam marokansku hranu i obožavam limune. Hvala za recept! Btw, fotke su apsolutno predivne!
myFudo says:
Sep 19, 2011
What a way to preserve lemon, I bet it would taste great after the 4 weeks. Love the photos, thanks for sharing.
Eva says:
Sep 19, 2011
We are heading to Morocco in a couple of months and I am determined to make as many dishes Moroccan as possible. These preserved lemons are on my list…but I am concerned that they are too salty. What do they taste like when they are done? I know many recipes that call for them!
Marija says:
Sep 20, 2011
Eva, I never had them. This is the first time I’m making them, so I have to wait for 4 weeks to taste them. I don’t think they’re too salty as they are washed before the use.
Eva@ kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com says:
Sep 23, 2011
Thanks Marija. I made them too this week, so I will wait four weeks and report on how much I love them (positive thinking). I already have a lot of recipes to try them in. Thanks for the inspiration.
Marija says:
Sep 23, 2011
Fingers crossed for both of us and our lemons
Sara says:
Sep 20, 2011
I love these–they are my fallback ingredient for bean salads. I just used up my last jar and need to make more. I should have planned ahead because now I’ll be without them until they cure. Your photos are lovely!
Ira Rodrigues says:
Sep 23, 2011
i should give it a try one day, when i first saw on tv i was hooked and by seeing your recipe and picture i fall in love even
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anna says:
Aug 26, 2012
very very good