Salted Lemon Preserves
This easy technique will preserve the fresh taste of lemons in season to enjoy year round, and has a unique salty tang that is more complex and mellow than the flavor of fresh lemons.
Ingredients
Salted Lemon Pickles
- lemons preferably organic, as you will be eating the peel
- kosher, pickling, or sea salt don't use iodized salt here
- lemon juice to cover, if the lemons do not make enough juice to cover themselves
Optional additions per quart (pick one or several)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 large bay leaf
Instructions
- Wash the jar(s) with hot soapy water, and sanitize either in a pot of boiling water, a steamer, the sanitize setting of your dishwasher, or using star-san or other homebrewing sanitizer. Mostly make sure the jars and lids are clean, but between the salt and the acid in this pickle, it's very safe, but never a bad idea to have a sanitized jar for a ferment that you plan to store for a long time.
- Wash the lemons, remove any produce stickers or labels, and cut them into halves or quarters.
- Put a tablespoon of salt into the bottom of the jar, then add a layer of lemons. Press them in tightly to remove as much air space as possible.
- Cover the lemons with a thin layer of salt- just a tablespoon or two. Add the next layer of lemons to the jar, pressing them tightly into the gaps. A wooden spoon is helpful here, especially for large or narrow mouthed jars.
- Add another thin layer of salt, then another layer of lemons, repeating until the jar is filled to the shoulder. Top up with a last spoonful of salt, and if the lemons have not made enough juice to cover themselves, you can top up the jar with fresh or bottled lemon juice.
- Label the jar, seal the lid, and put it in a cool, dark place. For the first few days, turn the jar over several times per day to make sure the top layer is covered with salt and lemon juice- it's ok if some pieces stick out a bit, as long as you keep the those bits moistened with the salty brine until they have absorbed the liquid.
- After the first day or two, gently shake or turn the jar occasionally for the first week or two. Every few days is fine- you just want to make sure the top bits aren't exposed before they have fully absorbed the salt, so that they don't mold or spoil. If they mold, you should discard them, though I've been making these for years and have never had a batch go bad! Over time the flavor will mellow and become more muted and less sharply acidic.
- Once the pickles are done, the rinds will soften, the brine will darken and eventually turn thick or even into jelly- this is from the pectin in the lemons and not a sign of spoilage. You can either store them in the fridge at this point or continue to keep them in a cool, dark place for longest shelf life.
- To use the pickles, use a clean utensil to remove a piece. The peel should separate from the inner part of the lemon easily. Traditionally, just the peel was chopped and used and the centers and seeds were discarded, though I often pick the seeds and any tough membranes out of the inner part and use that as well (especially in pureed salad dressings or sauces where the texture won't matter).
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