Preserved Lemons from ‘Fermented’
This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from Fermented: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Your Own Sourdough, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kimchi, and More by Charlotte Pike (Kyle Books), a British cookbook author and the blogger behind Charlotte’s Kitchen Diary. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!
Photo: Tara Fisher
Preserved Lemons
Makes 1 (1-quart) jar
Preserved lemons are widely enjoyed across North Africa. They’re an
essential ingredient in many Moroccan and Egyptian dishes, adding
a unique salty and fruity tang. It is very easy to make your own
preserved lemons, and the delicious results make it very worthwhile.
The key is to choose the best lemons you can find, and to use good quality
sea salt.
10 unwaxed lemons
6 tablespoons sea salt
You will need a 1-quart glass Le-Parfait-style
jar with a rubber seal, sterilized according to the instructions below
Tip: You may wish to rinse the lemons before use, to remove some of the excess salt, but this is not essential.
Squeeze the juice from 4 of the lemons and pour into a pitcher, discarding
the skins. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge until needed.
Wash the 6 remaining lemons. Cut each lemon lengthwise into quarters,
making sure you don’t cut all the way through as you’ll be stuffing the
lemons with salt in the next stage.
Taking one lemon at a time, stuff the cavity of each lemon with 1 tablespoon
of salt. Arrange the lemons inside the jar, pressing them down really well so
they are packed tightly together. Close the lid.
Set aside to ferment on the kitchen countertop for an initial 3–4 days, by which time some of the juice will have run out of the lemons and started to fill the base of the container. Press down on the lemons to compact them further, and then pour in the reserved lemon juice to cover the lemons completely. (If they’re not fully submerged, you will have to add some more lemon juice.)
Close the lid and set aside to ferment for an additional 4 weeks in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.
Unopened, the lemons will keep for up to a year in a cool dark place. Once opened, store in a cool place and consume within 6 months.
Sterilizing Jars
In order to ferment successfully, your equipment must be scrupulously clean. In terms of cleaning and preparing my equipment, I follow the same procedure as I do with preserving; I like to run my containers through the dishwasher on a hot cycle and use them shortly afterward. Hand washing is fine as long as you use dish soap and plenty of hot water and rinse well. You may wish to rinse your equipment and vessels again after removing them from the dishwasher, just in case the detergent hasn’t been removed effectively by the rinse cycle.
Reprinted with permission from Fermented: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Your Own Sourdough, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kimchi, and More by Charlotte Pike (Kyle Books).
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