Preserved Lemons Recipe

Preserved Lemons add excellent flavor to many dishes. I add wedges of them into the cavity of roasting chicken or turkey for a citrus-y flair. I even put inside a whole dressed fish, like salmon, prior to poaching or roasting. But, when using in a compound butter or any other edible mixture, use only the rind…not the fruit!!! The fruit is vey salty and over powering to consume. It is fine for stuffing in a chicken or fish cavity only!

Preserved Lemon and diced Rind

These preserved lemons are super easy to make. You can be cute and use a large decorative glass Ball jars as gifts (remember to follow directions below) or make them in a Zip-lock bag. It won’t matter what you use…the lemons will be delicious!

You can buy preserved lemons at many specialty stores, but they are often very expensive. The recipe below is easy-to-do and won’t ruin your budget.

These will stay good in your refrigerator for 3-4 months. When you’re ready to use them, just bring them to room temperature. Be sure not to cross contaminate lemons while using, especially with raw proteins!!!

You can also do this recipe using oranges and orange juice from concentrate.

Alrighty then, let’s get to preserving!

How to make preserved lemons in three easy steps

First: Pick out 12 nice, large, and firm lemons without scars or bruises. Get a 1 pound container of coarse sea salt. Grab 1-2  48 oz bottles of real lemon juice. Glass jars and/or ziplock bags

Second:  If you happen to have, a very large glass jar with a tight lid, grab it and make sure it is cleaned thoroughly… I like those old giant pickle jars. If not handy, get a extra large Tupperware with a tight lid, or a couple of 2 gallon zip-lock bags (why 2…because you will want to double bag just for secure sealing).

Third: Scrub the whole lemons. Cut into wedges or slices. Don’t worry about the stem nor seeds (you can trim off stem if you want). Put into your chosen container. Sprinkle all over cut lemons with the coarse sea salt. Then pour the lemon juice over salted lemons making sure they are covered with juice. Close the lid tightly and turn up-side-down a couple of times to distribute salt and juice around the lemons. That’s it Baby!

Keep on top of counter for 3-4 days, turning up-side-down once or twice each day. Then divide into smaller containers, if you wish, (making sure you cover with juice… you may have to top off with more juice) and/or can be frozen in zip-lock bags.

[ingredients title=”Equipment”]

• Chef Knife
• Extra Large Glass Jar with tight fitting lid
• 2  Two gallon zip-lock bags

[/ingredients]

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 12                Lemons, sliced in wedges and circles
• 1 Lb             Coarse Sea Salt
• 1-2/48 oz    Real Lemon Juice (Kroger, Walmart or Target) or Italian lemon Juice (Costco)

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Place lemons in jar. 
2. Sprinkle with course sea salt over cut lemons in jar.
3. Cover with lemon juice.
4. Keep on counter top for 3-4 days turning up-side-down at least once or twice daily.
5. Divide or portion out and refrigerate or freeze.

[/directions]