Preserved Lemons
Paula Wolfert
Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco
Makes 5 preserved lemons

Preserved lemons, sold loose in the souks, or markets, are one of the
indispensable ingredients of Moroccan cooking, used in fragrant lamb
and vegetables tagines, recipes for chicken with lemons and olives,
and salads.

Their unique pickled taste and special silken texture cannot be
duplicated with fresh lemon or lime juice, despite what some food
writers have said.

In Morocco, they are made with a mixture of fragrant-skinned doqq and
tart boussera lemons, but I have had excellent luck with American
lemons from Florida and California.

If available, use Meyer lemons.

The important thing in preserving lemons is to be certain they are
completely covered with salted lemon juice. With my recipe, you can
use the lemon juice over and over again.

(As a matter of fact, I keep a jar of used pickling juice in the
kitchen, and when I make Bloody Marys or salad dressings and have a
half lemon left over, I toss it into the jar and let it marinate with
the rest.)

Sometimes you will see a sort of lacy, white substance clinging to
preserved lemons in their jar; it is perfectly harmless, but should be
rinsed off for aesthetic reasons just before the lemons are used.

Preserved lemons are rinsed, in any case, to rid them of their salty
taste. Cook with the thick peels; marinate with the pulp, if desired.
Thin-skinned lemon peels are best as a garnish.

If using lemons with a thick peel, soften it by soaking in lukewarm
water for 3 days, changing the water daily.

5 lemons
1/4 cup salt, more if desired

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, if necessary

Quarter the lemons starting at the top to within 1/2-inch of the
bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, and then reshape the fruit.

Place 1 tablespoon salt on the bottom of a sterilized one-pint mason jar.

Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and lemon
juice, if needed.

Press down the lemons to release their juices and to make room for the
remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does
not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice—not chemically
produced lemon juice or water.)

Leave some air space at the top of the jar before sealing.

Let the lemons ripen for 30 days in a warm place, shaking the jar
often to distribute the salt and juice.

To use, rinse the lemons as needed under running water, removing and
discarding the pulp, if desired.

NOTES:

There is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will
keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three
times over the course of a year.

One caveat:

Do not put your fingers into the brine. Use a wooden spoon to remove
lemons as needed

These cannot be "canned" per se. They MUST be refrigerated and only
have a shelf life of six months.