Preserved Lemons

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

1. 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.
2. Soften the lemons by rolling them on your work surface.
3. 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. 
4. Stuff the opening with a tablespoon of salt and then close the lemon back up tightly. Repeat for each lemon.
5. Push the lemons into your jar one by one adding a tablespoon of salt between each one.
6. Pour in the lemon juice. It should reach about 2 cm from the rim of the jar.
7. 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.