All you need is a sterilised jar, unwaxed lemons, rock salt and whatever seasoning you fancy. I used a few bay leaves, peppercorns and a few juniper berries. Just slice the lemons into quarters but don’t cut all the way down to the bottom. Squeeze it open and put some rock salt inside. Pack into the jar squashing as you go and adding your salt and seasonings, as you squash the juice will come out. Once the jar is full top up with extra lemon juice and salt and seal. Leave at room temp and gently agitate for a few days then leave for about 6 weeks. Dead easy. When you come to use them discard everything but the pith and skin which will be lovely and soft, rinse really well then chop and add to your dishes. They are wonderful in taffies and also make a really great instant pickle to accompany your curry.
the salt will do all the work now
Lovely post and pictures. And if you’re in a rush, you can produce a pretty authentic result by quartering lemons and simmering them in heavily salted water for 20 minutes 🙂
Nice tip! I’ve also found Egyptian Preserved Lemons that are in vinegar and salt, thought I would hate them but really love them! Will definitely try the quick fix method 🙂
My aunt makes these and then uses the juice as a salad dressing and its really all you need. It is so delicious!
And SO easy to make! Love stuff like that 🙂
Hi, these look great! What kind of recipe do you use them in afterwards? I used to have some pickled lemons I put in cous cous with roasted veg and spicy chicken, suppose I could use these instead?
Hi Ellie, I make a lot of Tagines so I give them a good rinse, chop the skin into largish chunks and add to them to the mix. They do need a good rinse and you won’t need to add any salt to your Tagine. They are also great for making a quick pickle to accompany a curry. Simply rinse and chuck away the flesh then add finely chopped red onion, fresh coriander and bit of ready made mango chutney 🙂