Five Day Preserved Lemons Recipes

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Toss the lemon slices in kosher salt to coat, and place them into a sterile 2 quart glass jar. Pour in the lemon juice, cover tightly, and let stand on the counter for 1 week. Turn the jar over daily. At the end of the week, top the jar off with enough olive oil to cover the lemons. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
• To use, pull the lemon pulp from the peel, and scrape out the pith to leave only the yellow rind. Julienne, and add to your favorite dish for a lemony zing.

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Sterilize a 1-quart glass preserving jar with boiling water right before filling with lemons. Slice lemon from bud end to within 1/2-inch of stem end. Turn lemon 90 degrees and repeat. Open lemon slightly and pack inside with salt. Pack into jar and repeat with remaining lemons. Add enough lemon juice to cover to the top. Add pickling salt and close jar tightly. Set aside to pickle for at least 3 weeks. Every few days, turn jar over to redistribute juices and let stand on its head for a few days, then invert again.;

PRESERVED LEMONS RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut off and discard the stem ends of the lemons.
• Cut each lemon into quarters lengthwise, but not all the way through. Leave enough rind at the end to hold the fruit together, about 1/2 inch. If you do go too far and a lemon falls into quarters, don't worry. It's still completely usable; it just won't look as pretty sitting in the jar.
• Over a large bowl to catch the juice, use your thumb to carefully squeeze out the juice from each lemon quarter. Go ahead and really smash the lemon to get all the juice out.
• Over the same large bowl into which you've squeezed the lemon juice, sprinkle the inside of each juiced lemon with kosher salt (about 1 tablespoon per lemon), working as much of the salt as possible into the lemon flesh as you go, packing the crevices with lots of salt.
• Close the lemons, and place them in a quart-size sterilized glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Make sure the lemons are packed in tightly so that they can't move freely. Compress the lemons as you add them to the jar, squeezing them in to release more juices.
• Pour the salty juice you collected in the bowl over the jarred lemons. Add more lemon juice, if necessary, to cover the lemons completely. Then add a generous sprinkling of salt (about 1 teaspoon).
• Seal and set the jar on the kitchen counter or other cool, dark spot for 7 days, shaking and turning daily.
• After two or three days, open the jar and compress the lemons to release more juices. If you have room to add another lemon, do so. The idea here is that tightly packed lemons won't be able to rise to the surface. Do this for the first week until the jar is packed as full as possible and the lemons stay completely submerged in juice.
• Transfer the sealed jar to the refrigerator and leave undisturbed. The lemons will be preserved and ready to use once the rinds are very soft, in about five weeks. You can continue to preserve them longer if you like, up to a year or more.

SARAH'S PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Stand 1 lemon on its stem end on a cutting board; cut down center as if cutting in half, but stop about 1/2 inch above stem. Make a perpendicular cut, again stopping about 1/2 inch above stem, so lemon is quartered but still intact. Holding it over a bowl, spread its four quarters open and pack in as much salt as you can, allowing excess to fall into bowl. (You should be able to pack about 2 tablespoons in.) Place lemon, cut-side up, in a dry, sterile 1-quart glass jar (preferably with a neck narrower than jar) with a lid or a clamp closure. Repeat process with as many lemons as jar will hold. (You may have to add some the next day, when first set of lemons are softer.) Add cinnamon sticks, fennel, coriander, bay leaves, and enough lemon juice to cover. Cover with lid; let stand overnight.
• Push lemons down in jar with a clean spoon; if you have remaining lemons, add as many as you can now. If necessary, add more lemon juice to completely submerge lemons. Cover with lid, or clamp closed. Place in a dark spot (but do not refrigerate).
• For the next week, turn and shake jar once a day to redistribute salt. If lemons are no longer submerged, add more juice. Let stand 2 to 3 weeks more before using. Lemons can be refrigerated in jar 2 to 3 months.

PAULA WOLFERT'S SEVEN-DAY PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Dry lemons well and cut each into 8 wedges. In a bowl toss wedges with salt and transfer to a glass jar (about 6-cup capacity). Add lemon juice and cover jar with a tight-fitting glass lid or plastic-coated lid. Let lemons stand at room temperature 7 days, shaking jar each day to redistribute salt and juice. Add oil to cover lemons and store, covered and chilled, up to 6 months.

SIMPLE PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Blanch 6 lemons in boiling water 5 minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, cut lemons into 8 wedges each and discard seeds.
• Toss with salt in a bowl and pack into jar.
• Squeeze enough juice from remaining lemons to measure 1 cup.
• Add enough juice to cover lemons and cover jar with lid.
• Let stand at room temperature, shaking gently once a day, 5 days.
• Add oil and chill.
• Preserved lemons keep, chilled, up to 1 year.

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Sterilize two 1.5-liter canning jars and two 1-liter canning jars with clamp-top lids (we used Fido brand) by boiling them and their rubber seals in water 10 minutes. Remove with tongs, and let cool.
• Cut stem end off each of 24 to 30 lemons. Make 5 or 6 slits (a little less than 1/2 inch deep) down the length of each lemon with a sharp paring knife, cutting to within 1/2 inch of bottom of lemon but not all the way through. Press top of lemon with your palm to flatten and cause slits to splay open. Gather and save any juices that accumulate on cutting board. Pack as much salt as possible (about 1 tablespoon) into each slit.
• Place about 1/2 cup salt in each 1.5-liter jar, and pour in a little lemon juice. Working with 1 jar at a time, add 1 lemon, and flatten as much as possible. Sprinkle in a little more salt, add another lemon and repeat process, adding more juice every so often. Repeat until you reach top of jar (each jar should take 12 to 15 lemons). Seal jars, and refrigerate 20 days, shaking and rotating once a day, before giving as a gift. Most but not all of the salt will dissolve.
• For remaining lemons, trim stem end of each lemon and cut in half lengthwise; cut each half into 8 pieces. For every 2 cups of lemon pieces, toss with 1/2 cup salt in a bowl. Fill two 1-liter jars with lemon mixture, pressing down as many lemon pieces as possible and causing them to exude some of their juice. Seal jars, and refrigerate at least 10 days, shaking and rotating once a day, before giving as gifts.