Preserved Lemons

Last week my neighborhood Safeway was offering Meyer lemons for $1.99/lb, so I rushed in and picked up three pounds. I was thinking about making this lemon tart, but thought better of it when I noticed the filling included one stick of butter. Yikes! (Maybe one day when I’m feeling carefree, I’ll give that a whirl.) In the meantime, I decided to sacrifice my lemon bounty to a batch of preserved lemons.

Lemons preserved in salt show up as an ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Moroccan recipes, most notably tagines, a North African braised stew.  However, the salty, pickled charms of preserved lemons lend themselves to many uses — from perking up rice and couscous dishes, to soups, vegetable dishes and salad dressings. And, don’t they look gorgeous?

Preserved Meyer Lemons (from Gourmet by way of Epicurious)
12 Meyer lemons (you may need a few more than this)
2/3 c coarse salt (do not use table salt – kosher or coarse sea salt are needed)
1/4 c olive oil
1 quart jar with tight-fitting lid, sterilized

Wash all of the lemons well. Bring large pot of water to boil. Blanch 6 of the lemons for 5 minutes and then plunge them into bowl of cold water.  When the lemons are cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to cut each one into eighths. Gently coax out any seeds and discard them. Toss the lemons with the salt in a large bowl. Gently rub the salt onto all sides of the lemons. Meanwhile, juice the other 6 lemons. Pack the sliced and salted lemons into the quart jar and then cover with the lemon juice. If the lemons are not completely covered, make more juice to add to the jar.  (This is important so that the lemons don’t spoil.) Put the lid on the jar and let it sit at room temperature for five days, gently shaking the jar once a day. After five days, add the olive oil into the jar and refrigerate. When you use the lemons, rinse each one well to remove excess salt before adding it to your recipe.

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