Preserved Lemon

Click to Enlarge	Preserved Lemons North Africa - Middle East
	Makes Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	10 * 33 days Must		An indispensable ingredient for Moroccan cooking and used throughout North Africa and into the Middle East. It goes into lamb and vegetable tagines (stews), with chicken and in salads and other dishes. You can also use it for Western dishes wherever lemon is called for. The lemon juice brine itself is a delicious ingredient that tempts the imagination. The optional spicing is in the manner of Safi, Morocco.

10
1/2
ar
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1
6
12
8
2

c

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Lemons, small
Sea Salt (1)
Lemon Juice (2)
-- Optional
Cinnamon Stick
Cloves
Coriander seeds
Peppercorns, black
Bay Leaf

It is best to soften the skins of the Lemons so they will pack better and need less lemon juice. Do this by soaking in water for 3 days changing the water every day.
Cut Lemons from the pointy end to within 1/2 inch of the stem end into quarters. Sprinkle salt over the exposed lemon pulp and then massage back into lemon shape.
Place 2 T Salt in the bottom of the jar. Tightly pack in a layer of lemons and squash them down tight. Sprinkle more salt over the layer, and some of the spices (if used). Repeat until lemons are all in the jar, then add any remaining salt.
Squeeze as much fresh Lemon Juice as is needed to cover the lemons completely and seal the jar (see Note-3).
Keep in a warm spot to ferment for 30 days minimum, shaking the jar every day to distribute the brine. If necessary add more lemon juice and salt to keep them submerged or they will develop some mold which will cause mushy spots.
When they are done they can be used as needed. Keep them in a cool place, no need to refrigerate. Should some white mold form just rinse it off the lemon before using. Note, the brine is good for a year and can be used for as many as three batches of lemons.

NOTES:

Sea Salt: Always use sea salt for naturally fermented recipes - table salt is lacking some mineral salts essential to proper fermentation. It can be purchased cheaply from any market serving a Korean community or expensively from the health food aisle.
Lemon Juice: Use only freshly squeezed lemon juice - no substitutes.

Jar: I use a 2 quart kimchee jar and to hold the lemons down I use a plastic lid from a jar of pickled hog hides, inverted with a sterilized rock in it. See Photo.
U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch