Preserved Lemons

[gazza1960]

I only found one or two threads on these in our forum archive,so just for fun added an update to the idea.

Ive been making basic Preserved Lemons the last few years and to be honest up till now I have not added any herbs or additional
ingredients....I dont remove the pith or flesh or pips,just shove the lemons in and let time do its work.

Couple of Kilner jars.....soapy washed and rinsed and oven cooked till dry.(150 degrees for 10 mins)
10 to 15 Shop brought lemons....any variety
3 to 4 dessert spoons of salt.....have tried different salts and have ended up using the cheap table salt





I wash them, top and tail the lemons

Quarter the lemons,then slice again into 8ths

sprinkle the slices with salt.

pour 2 Dessert spoons of salt into the Kilner jar then stuff the salted slices into the jars.

Keep ramming the slices in to fill the jars best you can so the juices are emitted.

Fill jars to top and if there is room top with more fresh Lemon juice.



Secure the lid and place in the cupboard,after a week invert the jar so the salt on the bottom falls to the top.....shake well
and leave in cupboard ....repeat process over a couple of weeks then once that is done place in cupboard and these will last you well over a year.

I tend to leave them for at least 3 months then use the salty slices when cooking whole chickens,or Pork recipes,fish dishes also get a nice lemony kick if used in moderation,also cakes using lemon peel in the recipes are nice as well.

You may wish to wash the salt off of the Preserved Lemons in they are too intense for the intended recipe.

anyway,thats my simple version made today.

Gazza

[gazza1960]

[alkanet]

probably should use unwaxed lemons

[Obelixx]

I use organic unwaxed lemons and proper, natural sea salt.    Same with limes for lime pickle.

I keep ordinary table salt for the rare occasions I might need to fix a dye.

[gazza1960]

waxing is only for shelf life longevity and to give the product a good shine ,a good scrub with a stiff brush gets rid, but yes if your unsure buy unwaxed.

and no after buying our new home I don't have the pennies for organic anything or posh salt,its Wimborne market fodder for me from now on....

Gazza

[Yorkshire Lass]

I don't know if I would use lemons salted in this way as I use lemons mostly for sweet recipes. Has anyone tried freezing lemon juice and grated lemon peel ( seperately) as a way of preserving. Just wondered if it would lose some of it's flavour? Some lemons I buy seem alright when bought but go mouldy very quickly when they are still within their sell by date. Tescos and the Co-op will usually change them but it's a bother taking them back

[Obelixx]

I expect you could freeze them in ice cube trays, like fresh chopped herbs when you have a glut in summer.  You can also dry the zest in peeled strips and then use it in sauces and casseroles or infused in cream for flavour, depending on what you're making.

[peanuts]

I freeze whole lemons (scrubbed) if I can buy a good amount  cheaply.  I take zest off immediately when I remove one from the freezer, on the fine grater.   When defrosted they produce more juice too.  I often microwave a fresh lemon before juicing for the same reason.
If using lemons in a recipe that doesn't require the zest, I always remove zest and freeze in a pot, adding whenever I have more.  Very useful for adding to cake or dessert recipes.
I've never noticed any difference in intensity of flavour after freezing lemons.

[Yorkshire Lass]

Thanks Peanuts. That's really useful to know, I'll  hopefully save some money by doing this  when I buy more than I need because they're a good cheap price. I do microwave lemons before use to get more juice out of them.

[gazza1960]

Believe me Yorkshire lass,just make 1 jar to humour me and shread a couple and place under the breast skin and a couple more in the cavity.....the lemon and salty flavour on the chicken is......Different gravy..!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again if you enjoy whole bass cooked in Foil,a couple in the gut cavity whilst cooking adds a lovely lemony depth of flavour
to the fish flesh.

fish stews....meat stews.....all manner of dishes are enhanced from the salty/lemony flavour.

Its a winner......and centuries old.!!!!!!!!!!

Gazza

[Lawpen]

Your recipe for preserving lemons in salt sounds interesting and I'll will try it out soon.  We always have a few sliced lemons in the freezer to put in G&T instead of an ice cube!

[Yorkshire Lass]

Had more time this week without computer(see other thread) so I've humoured you Gazza and made 2 jars of preserved lemons. I'll let you know how I get on with them.

[Digeroo]

My Grandmother used to preserve lemons, but I am not sure the point nowadays when they are available fresh year round in the supermarket.

Though I do like the huge ones from Naples and they are seasonal if you can find them at all.

[gazza1960]

Yer ,please do Yorkshire lass,I hope you enjoy using them.

Naaaaaaa on this occasion fresh doesn't come close Digeroo,I cooked a chicken today in our Halogen oven with 6 FRESH lemon quarters in the cavity and shreaded lemon peel under the skin and believe me its nowhere near the same fantastic flavour that is exuded from a Salt preserved Lemon,I cant wait till my new batch are ready to use.....

I got the idea years ago from a Bread shop in Menorca,Jude and I used to go to the village shop late morning and buy a crusty loaf
and the Lemon Chicken they did was awesome,all thanks to using preserved fruit,but they also had herbs in theirs and Garlic butter.

Still each to their own  !!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[Yorkshire Lass]

Freezing them whole for later use works really well. Just made a couple of lemon drizzle cakes.
Anne

[gazza1960]

Well you may as well share the recipe Yorkshire lass as you'd make the two females in
Our house very happy as I'm no cake maker but would have a go at your drizzle jobby as I know
Jude enjoys it particularly.

Gazza

[Digeroo]

I had no idea that preserved lemons tasted better than fresh ones.  I will give them a try.

When is the best season for lemons.  Looks like ocado have Natoora Large Unwaxed amalfi lemons I might have a look in waitrose for them.

What happens to the salt, are they salty when you eat them.

[Obelixx]

Yes, but not excessively so.  They're used a lot in Mediterranean and north African cuisine - Morroccan tagines and so on. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1977656/preserved-lemons

[gazza1960]

as obbelix says,its been around for 1000,s of years,we saw the idea 20 years ago in Spain,sea farers would preserve meats,fish and fruits in salt so that it didn't rot when away from land so I guess we just enjoy the fact that the salt seasons the chicken or whatever dish you decide to use it in.....Tagine cooking is a fav of ours so when I cook whole fish or chicken thighs I like to use whole
pieces of the preserved lemons ....ok lets not kid ourselves...if you inadvertently chew on one it can be a tad tangy....so I guess
removing then "ala" bay leaves would be a good idea.

Shreading them in a pestle and mortar with other herbs makes for a tasty addition to Bass baked in foil.,,,again though its a flavouring rather than something yud eat as such...we just enjoy it as the lemon flavour is intensified by the salting process.

Gazza

[Yorkshire Lass]

Here's my recipe for Lemon Drizzle Cake

6oz butter/marg
6oz castor sugar
6oz self raising flour
4 eggs
1 tbsp of warm water
3 large lemons
4oz granulated sugar

1. Cream together butter and castor sugar unitl light and fluffy
2 Beat in  eggs 2 at a time.
3. Add grated lemon rind from the 3 lemons
4. Fold in the flour and add the warm water.

Put mixture into baking tin.
( I use 2 x 1 lb loaf tins for this amount  of mixture but you could use a 2 lb loaf tin or a 7" round cake tin)

Bake in oven for 30 -35mins at 180 degrees

Squeeze the juice from the lemons and add the granulated sugar.

When the cake has cooled a liitle (don't let it go cold) prick the surface with a cocktail stick or thin pronged fork and pour over the sugar and lemon juice mixture and leave to cool completely. It will leave the cake with a crunchy lemon topping.

It's a very easy cake to make.


Hope you enjoy
Anne

[Jayb]

I love lemon Drizzle cake

My mum does a lovely lemon curd cake