Preserved lemons are widely used across the Mediterranean and are a fantastic way to add a lemony hit to any dish, overlaid with a hint of North African spices. They are incredibly easy to make but well worth it – essentially you just have to marinate them with plenty of salt for a few months.
The important thing to remember with preserved lemons is that it’s the skin you need to use – the pulp becomes incredibly salty and you should throw that away before rinsing the lemon skins really well. Then they can be chopped (they will be very soft) and added to the dish of your choice.
Preserved lemons
Ingredients
- 4 or 5 small lemons
- Coarse salt
- Cinnamon sticks
- Bay leaves
- Cumin seeds
- Coriander Seeds
Instructions
- Put a reasonable amount of the coarse salt in a bowl, along with the coriander and cumin seeds. What is a reasonable amount? enough to fit in with the lemons in a 500ml kilner jar. Mix them all together.
- Cut the lemons almost into quarters lengthways but don't cut all the way through. With each lemon, put it in the bowl of salt and get as much salt into the lemon as you can. Then squeeze each lemon into the kilner jar. With small to medium-sized lemons, you should be able to get two in a layer. Keep going until the jar is full.
- Push the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks down the sides of the jar, along with as much of the remaining salt mixture as you can get in.
- If you have any lemons left over then squeeze the juice into the jar. Add water until jar the is nearly full and then seal. Leave the jar for at least three months to "cook" the lemons.