Ingredients
| 8 ripe, unblemished lemons | |
| 150g non-iodised coarse sea salt (I used pink Himalayan salt) |
Preserved lemons really should be an icon of adventurers. They have been utilised to prevent scurvy at sea and take food flavour to the next level. Whenever I see preserved lemons in a person’s pantry, I know I am in the presence of an adventurer.
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Instructions
| 1. | Rinse and scrub the lemons and cut off any stems. |
| 2. | Cut 5mm from the tip of the lemons. |
| 3. | Cut the lemons lengthwise in half, but do not cut all the way through – keep the lemon attached at the base. |
| 4. | Then make another cut, as if you were cutting the lemons into quarters, but not all the way through. |
| 5. | Stand the lemons upright, pack a tablespoon of salt into their centre and place into a large, clean jar. |
| 6. | Add an additional pinch of salt to the jar for each lemon used. Repeat for the remaining lemons. |
| 7. | Using a pestle or similar tool, begin to crush the lemons in the jar to extract their juice. |
| 8. | Keep crushing until the juice begins to submerge the lemons. |
| 9. | If there is not enough juice to cover the lemons top it up with a small amount of water. |
| 10. | Put a non-reactive weight on top of the lemons to submerge them and seal the jar until finger tight. |
| 11. | Leave the lemons at room temperature to naturally cure and ferment for at least 2 weeks, but 4 weeks is preferable. |
| 12. | Remove the weight and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. |
Food styling, recipes & photography David Neville