Preserved Lemons (Moroccan Style)
A Moroccan-inspired recipe that may sound strange to us Romanians. But these lemons, preserved in their own juice, soften and can be used in stews, salads, sauces, dressings, or to make herb-flavored butter.
Generally, only the peel of these lemons is used - rinsed under running water to remove excess salt and then cut into thin strips - while the pulp is discarded. But to avoid wasting such a treasure, you can squeeze the pulp through cheesecloth and use the juice for dressings.
Ingredients
5 lemons (+2 extra lemons in case they are not juicy enough)
5 tablespoons salt (sea salt if possible)
1 hot pepper
3 bay leaves
How to prepare preserved lemons (moroccan style)
- Wash the lemons well and soak them in hot water for 10 minutes if they are not organic.
- Cut each lemon into 4 quarters, but not all the way to the base - they should remain attached. Place about 2 teaspoons of sea salt inside each lemon.
- Pour a tablespoon of salt on the bottom of a 400 ml jar.
- Put the lemons in the jar. They will fit tightly and you need to press them well. At first, only 4 lemons will fit (but this also depends on their size). To press them better, I used a garlic pestle. Press the lemons until they release plenty of juice. Between the lemons, add the bay leaves and hot pepper sliced into rounds, plus a little chili if the pepper is not very hot.
* the next day, the lemons softened and settled in the jar so I could add the fifth lemon. - Pour another tablespoon of salt over the lemons.
- Close the jar with a lid and leave it for 3 days at room temperature. Each day, open the jar and press the lemons to release more juice.
- On the third day, the juice should completely cover the lemons. If this has not happened, squeeze fresh juice from 1-2 more lemons and pour it into the jar so the juice covers them.
- Put the jar in the refrigerator and let it cure for 3 weeks, then they can be used in stews, salads, sauces, and dressings.
Filling the lemons with salt
Pressing them into the jar
