These are super simple and quite simply sunshine in a jar. They do take a couple of months to mature and build the flavour but I can highly recommend them for all sorts of uses – tagines such as this Sea Bream and Vegetable Tagine , Charmoulla for this Preserved Feta with Charmoulla to savour with cheese or simply whisked into a salad dressing.
You’ll need
- A jar of your chosen size
- Lemons to fit your jar
- 2 tbsp of table salt per lemon
- 150-200ml lemon juice depending on the size of your jar
To make them
- Sterilise your jars in boiling water. I simply put them in a hot dishwash and then dry them in a120C oven for about 15 minutes.
- Soften the lemons by rolling them on your work surface.
- Cut the lemon in half and half again with slits that goes almost all the way down. You need to leave about 5mm at the bottom.
- Stuff the opening with a tablespoon of salt and then close the lemon back up tightly. Repeat for each lemon.
- Push the lemons into your jar one by one adding a tablespoon of salt between each one.
- Pour in the lemon juice. It should reach about 2 cm from the rim of the jar.
- Seal the jar and then leave in a warm place for around a month. Give the jar a turn every few days to evenly distribute the juice and salt.
