Simple Preserved Lemons

Tired of not being able to eat your lemons skin and all?
Would you like to know how to create your own preserved lemons?
well its very simple

Step 1: Equipment & Ingredients

For this project you will need:

3-4 Lemons (Cleaned)
3-4 Tablespoons of sea salt
1 Sterilized glass jar
Bay leaves / lemon leaves (These are optional)
1 Knife
1 Chopping board

Comments

[HurdyGurdyMan]

If you guys want a sweet version that you can eat alone use a table spoon of salt and replace the rest with sugar. (not exactly preserved but tasty)

[HurdyGurdyMan]

If you boil it in a jar and keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks the peel becomes nice and soft. Put it into a dryer and eat it like candy. (been doing for a few months now)

[Ebrithil]

exactly how do u put it into a dryer? im only fourteen and rather dryerless and i get yelled at enough without ruining my moms dryer.

[SteamKit]

I think he means a food dryer, not a clothes dryer.

[Ebrithil]

thanks!

[codongolev]

"eww, mine are all linty" jk

[codongolev]

btw, a good way to dry fruit is to put them on a fan for a few days.

[afridave]

put them in a wooden packing crate on racks with a 100 w globe on all the time and a hair dryer on a timer (on for 15 min in the hour)so as not to destroy the hairdrier and cover with net curtain to keep out insects.

[codongolev]

sounds like a good setup.

[afridave]

we use it for making biltong (jerky) but im certain it would work as a general purpose dehydrator too.

[afridave]

will this be able to be kept for a longer period of time as a traditional preserve or pickle?ive been experimenting with fruits in cheap brandy,how do you think lemons will do in brandy?its spring here now and the lemon tree is full of blossom and im looking for a way not to waste all those lemons as many were wasted last year.they ended on the compost heap but one consolation is that i have little lemon trees sprouting up all over the veggie patch.

[crowsfromgod]

Thanks for the tip, Steven! I'll definitely try this.

[LasVegas]

I always eat fresh lemons, skin and all. Of course, I do also clean them thoroughly . I really love fresh lemon peal!

[Punkguyta]

I like lemon juice, I'll drink a shotglass of it every night.

[CatMan]

hey, that's an old Moroccan recepie! the way they do it is slice the lemons to 1/4 inch thick slices, dunk each slice into the salt, one side only, and that's the correct amount of salt. put them all in a gar, with some paprika for colour, and cover with lemon juice. BTW, it's best to ude Kosher Salt in preserves, since it has no addetives, which make juices less clear (though they don't impare the taste) and it's usualy cheaper than sea-salt.

[canida]

What is the traditional Moroccan way to serve the lemons? Are they used as a garnish, or as an ingredient in recipes? (And if so, can you suggest any?)

[CatMan]

it's served as pickles with dishes, it's used in cooking (lots of recipies on the net) but i like it most in "tunisian sandwich"- fill a long bun (or baguette) with tuna from the can, preserved lemons, boiled potato cubes, capers, pitted olives, parsely, and a bit of hot sauce. you can ommit anything you dislike, except the tuna and lemons. the original stuff is in a deep-fried bun called frikasse, but any bun will do. the classic north-afrikan combo of tuna-p.lemons-olives (and or capers) can be used on pizza also. or as a salad (with boiled potato cubes)

[CatMan]

eh.. ahm... JAR. right?

[canida]

Great Instructable! I can't wait to try this, maybe with a mix of lemons/limes or other citrus. I've got a (tiny) little kaffir lime tree in my yard- the leaves should add some good flavor. Does the acidity matter for storage, or is salt the important preservative? Ie, will I need to make any changes for storing lower-acid citrus like tangerines or Meyer lemons?

[steven07]

I believe salt is the main preservative the acidity shouldn't have a bearing on the shelf life (which according to the internet is six months or so). However i do not know too much on this subject.

>I can't wait to try this,
when your done try and post a picture up

[gmoon]

Looks good! Just to clarify, you don't add any water right? ("the liquid within the lemon should start to leave the lemons and go into the jar") And no refrigeration, also?

[steven07]

Yes no water added. Yes and no refrigeration, also However i don't think it matters either way.

[Sgt.Waffles]

Sounds cool!

[matseng]

Mmmm, preserved lemons is yummy when cooking north African and middle east foods. But make sure that you clean the lemons thoroughly before putting them in the jar. Pesticides is not healthy....

[steven07]

Thanks : ) The article now refers to cleaned lemons.