preserved lemons

i mentioned preserved lemons yesterday, with the thought that i had mentioned them before. but i don't think i have. "so what are they and why should i care, you jerk?" you wonder aloud to yourself. well, first off, rude. but also, i'll tell you:


they are lemons, cut up, rolled in kosher salt, sprinkled with more kosher salt and unceremoniously crammed into a jar.

the cramming comes next.

when we first heard of them, via food in jars, i believe, but also an indian cookbook and maybe a few other places, i was not terribly enthusiastic. "what ever will we put them on?" i asked. "i bet they'll be hella nasty" i opined. but my lady friend, sarah, told me to shut up and cram lemons and i sure am glad she did.

you see, after the lemons have been crammed, you just give them a little shake every day until all the salt is dissolved and the liquid has covered the fruit (if it doesn't, add a bit more lemon juice) and then you just kind of forget about them for a month or so (seeing as the mix is super salty acid, there isn't really any fear of spoilage). by that point, the juice has thickened to a briny syrup and the rinds have become tender. the flavor is powerful- something like a savory lemon candy.

i now find myself chopping up a piece and incorporating it into salad dressing or stirring it into a soup that just needs that last little something and sarah just puts them in everything, as far as i can tell. we have yet to use them in anything moroccan, which seems to be the point of origin for this idea, or with meat (as i don't eat the stuff) but i've heard they go great with both.