Inspired by the A16 cookbook and our friend Cody Rasmussen (asst. winemaker at Bedrock), Lori and I decided to try preserving some Meyer lemons from our tree. I just used them for the first time this week on a pizza, but realized I need more ideas on how to use them and anyway they deserve their own thread…
Pretty simple really, just quarter the lemons (stopping short of the end, so the pieces remain together), pack them with a couple tablespoons of salt, then pack them into a jar to sit for a week at room temp, pressing them down and adding more juice if they don’t release enough to stay submerged.
Recipes on the web have the room temp ferment go anywhere from a few days to a week to a month, but at a month you need a fermentation lock on your jar. We moved ours to the fridge after a week, and it’s been a few weeks since then.
To eat, you remove the pulp and eat the softened rind. Chopped finely, I guess this is treated almost as a spice. Because you’re eating the skin, it’s preferred to use organic lemons, or even better lemons you’ve been keeping an eye on their entire lives.
After a long rinse, these currently taste like really fresh, somewhat salty lemons, but not a hint of bitter, just really nice, concentrated lemon flavor.
One of my favorite pantry items. Used to do them all the time, then got lazy and started buying them at Kalustyan’s instead. I love to use them in pastas, with chicken dishes of all sorts, with little fatty fish like sardines, in pesto and other condiments…the list is almost endless. Maybe I’ll make another batch next week. As long as you keep them covered they last a very long time.
In the link on Facebook, Erica cuts the wedges all the way through so she can salt them easier and use individual wedges. She recommends Diamond Crystal Kosher salt but said fine sea salt or Morton’s Kosher would be ok. What did you use, Larry? I’m making mine later today. I have fine sea salt and Morton’s Kosher.
Nancy, we started with Diamond Crystal Kosher but ran out before we filled both our jars, so finished with a Sicilian sea salt I usually use in my pizza dough. Not sure the brand, but I can check it. It’s quite coarse. I’d say if you’re going to do this, make sure you’re well stocked on salt.
Tim F: The brine these are sitting in is so so salty, you couldn’t use it as lemon juice, but I never thought about using it as salt
Thanks Corey. A couple years ago Lori made a large batch of Limoncello, and I think we still have a couple fifths. Really good stuff but we don’t drink it much. Lori would certainly be more into mixing cocktails if I wasn’t always popping corks.
A bit of an aside, but whenever I see your name come up I think of Superintendent Chalmers screaming “Piggins” the same way he screams (Principal) “Skinner”.
I have made these many times. Initially with meyer lemons but realized i preferred regular lemons. I have never understood why it is recommended that the pulp be removed. Seeds yes.
Anyway put quartered preserved lemons inside chickens before you roast them. The lemons are delish that way. Plus i like to put them in my red lentil/cauliflower/cumin (and other indian food spices) soup. The preserved lemon is the perfect accent.
I assume that you’d just discard the lemon if you put it in the carcass of the chicken. But in soup are you using the whole lemon or juicing it and discarding the peel?
The purpose is to use the rind and discard the pulp and salty juice, however, if you read the blog report that Larry linked on FB, you may find uses for them.
