You Can Do This!- Preserved Lemons

If you love the tanginess of lemons in your savory dishes, start by preserving lemons now. Your probably asking yourself why you would want to do that? And what can I do with it?

Well tons. A quick internet search shows preserved lemons are commonly used in Moroccan dishes but I’ve found them addictively delicious when the rinds are tucked under the skin of a chicken and roasted. Toss a few preserved rinds in dressing and it adds a salty umami taste. And I found all this out by buying a $9 jar of the stuff from Williams & Sonoma.

Skip shelling out for a jar and just preserve some lemons on your own. You’ll need a large canning jar, kosher salt and five weeks of waiting.

You’ll have to eye how man lemons will fit in a jar. My 16-ounce jar was able to squeeze 8 quartered lemons.

Start with the minimum lemons and prep them by washing and cutting them into quarters. Add kosher salt and pile them into a disinfected canning jar. If you can fit a few more lemons in, repeat the cutting and salting process.

Seal jar and place in a dark cupboard. Check back on the jar a day later.

Using a spoon or spatula, reach into jar and press down on lemons releasing juices. Add more quartered and salted lemons and reseal jar.

Repeat daily until lemons fill the top of the jar. If done correctly, the jar will be completely filled with lemons and their accompanying juices. You’ll want to make sure every lemon is submerged under lemon juice. The liquid will a bit cloudy – don’t worry about that.