Citrus season: pickled lemons.
Rebecca asked for details on my citrus liqueur recipes because she has too many meyer lemons on her hands. What a lovely problem!
I’ve had the same “problem” on occasion myself—whenever I visit my grandmother in California, I come away with shopping bags full of meyer lemons from her prolific backyard tree.
One of my favorite ways to preserve an onslaught of lemons is by pickling. I do my pickled lemons Sephardic/Moroccan style. They turn out sharp and salty, like sour olives. You can use them almost anywhere you would use green olives, and the pickling liquid makes an interesting vinegar substitute for salad dressings.
Oh, and these pickled lemons are lacto-fermented. Which means they’re full of helpful critters for the human ecosystem. And they’re very simple to make.
Here’s what to do:
Use fresh organic / unsprayed lemons.
Cut each lemon almost into quarters: slice lengthwise from the stem end toward the blossom end, and leave the last quarter of an inch intact.
Coat the inside of each lemon with a generous amount of coarse salt.
Put the lemons in a clean glass or ceramic jar, sprinkling some extra salt over each layer of lemons.
Cover the jar. For the first few days, shake and turn the jar as often as you remember. After three or four days the lemons will have juiced out. At this point, add enough fresh lemon juice to cover the lemons. The lemons should be fully submerged in the liquid. Now cover the jar, but not too tightly—enough to keep insects out but allow a bit of air in.
Put the jar in a cool, dark place and wait a month or so.
You have pickled lemons.
Related post: Citrus season: candied grapefruit peel (and bitters too).
ling said,
March 5, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
thanks for the recipe.great for Arizona, where I live..only if you don’t mind my asking, what do you think they might taste like with added apple vinegar?
crabappleherbs said,
March 6, 2007 @ 11:34 am
I think the vinegar would mask the delicate taste of the lemons. And you certainly don’t need it for acidity — the lemon juice combined with the lactic acid from the salt fermentation are enough to preserve the lemons just fine.
ling said,
March 8, 2007 @ 11:32 pm
thanks! will do this recipe.
crabappleherbs said,
March 9, 2007 @ 12:21 am
Let me know how it goes!
andy said,
March 9, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
I have very much been wanting to make these lately, missing the California lemon trees. Seeing this is a good reminder to look for some affordable organic lemons in the markets.
These are typically used in all sorts of Morrocan tagine-type dishes. I mostly use them with roasted chicken (packed in the cavity and under the skin with garlic and sage), in lentils, or various stews. I most recently missed having some in the fridge when I found a great recipe for seared tuna in a tomato / black olive / preserved lemon stew.
The good news is they keep just about forever in the fridge. The last time I made them was with a big bag of Meyer lemons when I lived in California, that batch lasted me several years and came along with me on a move to New Mexico. They also made a great marmalade of Meyer lemon and rosemary, but that’s anmother story. Thanks for the inspiration to make another batch sometime soon.
andy said,
March 9, 2007 @ 2:51 pm
I have very much been wanting to make these lately, missing the California lemon trees. Seeing this is a good reminder to look for some affordable organic lemons in the markets.
These are typically used in all sorts of Morrocan tagine-type dishes. I mostly use them with roasted chicken (packed in the cavity and under the skin with garlic and sage), in lentils, or various stews. I most recently missed having some in the fridge when I found a great recipe for seared tuna in a tomato / black olive / preserved lemon stew.
The good news is they keep just about forever in the fridge. The last time I made them was with a big bag of Meyer lemons when I lived in California, that batch lasted me several years and came along with me on a move to New Mexico. They also made a great marmalade of Meyer lemon and rosemary, but that’s anmother story. Thanks for the inspiration to make another batch sometime soon.
Revka said,
March 10, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
What a unique recipe! Thanks for sharing.
The Herbwife’s Kitchen » Citrus season: candied grapefruit peel (and bitters too). said,
March 10, 2007 @ 11:25 pm
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Chris said,
April 22, 2007 @ 11:56 am
I have recently discovered lemon stuffed cocktail olives. In a word they are divine and I want to attempt to make these at home. I am going to give this recipe a try and take the finished product to stuff the olives.
Vojje said,
September 27, 2007 @ 2:30 am
If you have an Arabic store in your area they should be selling pickled lemons imported from the Orient or Maghreb.. Go and find out how yours compare with the original. They use small plum-size lemons and do not cut them… Ahh.. I’d forget… Lactic fermentation requires slight pressure and precise amout of salt or your risk very salty brine that never ferments..
crabappleherbs said,
September 28, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
Vojje, the pickled lemons I make are very similar to the ones I used to buy at the Moroccan market in Montreal. (Those were semi-quartered, though, the way I do it.) I’ve never measured salt for lemons (though I do for most other pickles), and my pickled lemons always turned out tasty. I’m not sure what you mean by pressure. Do you mean something to keep the pickles submerged in the brine? Around here those are called “pickling rocks.” I’ve found that I don’t really need one for lemons, though, since the acidity of the fruit keeps them from spoiling while they ferment.
Myra (Australia) said,
October 12, 2007 @ 1:57 am
Am just about to open the jar I pickled a few weeks back, once opened - how long do the lemons keep for? Presumably refrigerated once opened.
crabappleherbs said,
October 14, 2007 @ 10:37 am
The lemons should keep for quite a while either in the fridge or in a cool, dark place. I’ve always used mine up before they go bad… I’ve kept some for up to a year in the refrigerator, though, and they’ve been fine.
Judy said,
June 20, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
Hi I did some over a year ago. Very good as I have been cooking lots of Moroccan type recipes lately. i had about half a jar left and they went very slimey so I threw them out. Not sure if they would have been okay or not
greg goodrich said,
June 22, 2008 @ 11:04 am
I have a metal plate in my head and often pickle lemons and place them in a plastic bag over my head with a small drip hose before I hit the hay. Over the course of the night the salted, pickled lemon juice seeps into my head, preventing corrosion (caused by high alkanity in the oxidation process) in my metal plate.