How to Make Preserved Lemons
Preserving Lemons is easy! Cut pieces of preserved lemon into bits and add them to soups, sauteed greens, and grains, like quinoa or rice. Makes one quart-size jar. Preserved lemons in smaller jars make welcome gifts. The sodium level for preserved lemons is lower than the nutrition fact calculation because before using preserved lemons, we rinse them quickly in cool running water.
Servings: 50 servings
Calories: 1kcal
Ingredients
- 5 each lemons , preferably organic (see note)
- ¾ cup kosher salt
- Extra lemon juice , if needed
Instructions
- Use a clean 1-quart jar. I immersed jar my in boiling water for a minute and turned it upside down on a clean towel. Use a new lid.
- Trim the ends off of the lemons. Slice them in quarters lengthwise, keeping one end intact. (see note)
- Pour kosher salt in the middle of the open lemons.
- Squeeze one of the salted lemons into the clean jar, pressing down to pack it in and release lemon juice. Add the other lemons, one at a time, pressing down until plenty of juice flows around the lemons. (I pressed using the end of my French rolling pin without handles.)
- Be sure your lemons are covered with juice. If you need to, top with extra juice.
- Screw the lid on tightly and leave on the counter for at least a couple of days. Turn the jar upside down several times a day to allow the salted juice to flow around the lemons. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preserved lemons keep a long time, up to a year.
Notes
- Organic lemons are best because any pesticide residue will be in the skin of fruits and vegetables.
- Some recipes say to cut the fruit completely in quarters, but I like to keep the lemons intact at their bottom. That way there's a little nest to hold plenty of salt.
Nutrition
Calories: 1kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1698mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 1mg