Name: Perky preserved lemons
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 8 lemons; 1/2 cup sea salt per jar; 1 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1/4 cup lemon juice per jar; 1 bay leaf per jar; Boiling water

Perky preserved lemons

A common ingredient in Moroccan and some Middle Eastern cuisines, preserved lemons add a wonderfully complex citrus note to both sweet and savoury dishes. They can be expensive to buy, yet they’re so easy to make. Photography by Todd Eyre

Makes 4

Prep

20M

Ingredients

8 lemons

1/2 cup sea salt per jar

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 cup lemon juice per jar

1 bay leaf per jar

Boiling water

Method

1.Wash an assortment of jars, small and large, and dry in an oven heated to 120°C to sterilise. Pour boiling water over lids.

2.Scrub the lemons to remove any wax on the skin and rinse in cold water before cutting into quarters.

3.Pack lemons snugly into jar(s), layering with salt. Scatter peppercorns amongst the jars and add a quarter cup of lemon juice and a bay leaf to each jar. Pour in enough boiling water to slightly overflow each jar.

4.Screw on lids and leave to cool. Wipe the jars and store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks, turning upside down occasionally to mix the salt and juices.

5.Wrap and gift, along with instructions to use the softened skin (discarding flesh and pith) in salad dressings, slow-cooked stews, cakes and icings to lend a beautiful citrusy tang.

A lot of recipes call for topping the jars with olive oil, but in Morocco, they use boiling water, so that’s what I use and it’s cheaper! Preserved lemons will last for months, but once opened, store in the fridge.
Note

Women's Weekly Food