Preserved lemon
- liatsheetrit
- Feb 2
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 10
There's some commercial on the radio about some old lady who says she puts this sh-t on everything. Look's like Im that old lady. Because that exactly what I do. I put pickeld Lemon on anything. Whether it's a Tunisian sandwich, a baked chicken, cooked beef. khreira soup or grilled Veggie. I put this sh-t on everything.
On the first day, let the lemon evaporate its own fluids. Because of the salt, it will do so on its own. After a day, we will replenish the missing fluids with lemon juice.
Preserved lemon
Ingredients
5 medium lemons (lemons with a peel that is not too thick or thin)
Lemon juice from 3 lemons
Half a cup of coarse salt
A teaspoon of hot paprika
A teaspoon of sweet paprika
2-3 Bay leaves
1 tablespoon of Amba oil (optional) (What does this mean? In a jar of amba, there is always a nice layer of oil floating on top. That's what I use. If the oil runs out and only the amba is left, add a teaspoon of the amba itself)
Canola or olive oil
Sterilized jar.
(How to sterilize a jar. Place the jar in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Make sure the boiling water reaches everywhere. Soak for a few minutes. Remove from the bowl, drain the liquid and set aside to dry. It is important to touch as little as possible with your hands to prevent bacteria from running rampant. I use tongs)
This is what the jar looks like before I close it. At the bottom, a thick layer of oil with a little juice that the lemon has started to extract. Tomorrow the juice will reach half the jar.
Preparation instructions
Cut the lemons into thin, even slices. Remove the seeds. (Do this with a knife. Remember? The fewer hands, the better.)
In a deep bowl, add coarse salt and sweet and hot paprika. Mix.
Place the lemon slices in the bowl. Shake the bowl well so that the slice is well coated with salt and spices. (I use tongs to transfer the lemon slice from the cutting board. I don't touch it with my hands.)
Now shake the lemon slice well from the salt flakes and place it in a sterilized jar. Again, without hands.
Continue in the same manner until all the lemon slices are stacked in the jar.
Don't be afraid to press them in lightly. In the middle of the jar, I push the bay leaves against the side of the jar.
If you choose to add Amba, add something like a spoon. If, like me, you think mango is the X factor in pickled lemon, put two too.
After we've filled the entire jar, we'll close it and let it rest overnight. In the morning, you'll notice that the salt causes the lemon to evaporate its liquids.
My jar was half full. I filled the remaining half with squeezed lemon juice that covered all the lemon slices in the jar. Now a little layer of oil to preserve the lemon.
Three more days on the counter (out of direct sunlight) and you have a glorious pickled lemon. Have you opened the jar? Please put it in the refrigerator. And no fingers, please.
EASY BREEZY LEMON SQUEEZY