Preserved Lemons

There is a restaurant in Sacramento, CA called The Marrakesh. This little Moroccan restaurant is in a nondescript building next door to a veterinary clinic. Once inside, you are transported to Morocco with music, exotic cuisine and occasionally dancers. (If you go for your birthday, they place skewers in a giant onion and serenade you.) I almost always select the lemon chicken dinner which comes with a cold vegetable appetizer, a lamb meat pastry with powdered sugar and mint tea. It is the perfect feast to cure any ailment. I have never left there not relaxed. I asked the staff once how they got the lemons to taste the way they did and they said they were preserved lemons that they cooked with the chicken in a clay cooker. I have set out to find the best version of that recipe but often I don't have the right mixture of flavors. This preserved lemon mix is as close as I have come. 

I made two jars of lemons with slightly different recipes. Both are tasty but each has its own merits.

Ingredients:

• Meyer lemons, preferably unwaxed. Extra for the juices to fill the space. 
• Large mason jar
• Kosher salt
• 1-2 Cinnamon sticks
• Coriander seeds
• Bay leaf
• 4 black peppercorns
• 4 cloves

Directions: 
Wash the lemons to remove any wax or bacteria. Trim the ends of the lemon and quarter. Make sure to leave one side whole so it can be closed back up into a lemon shape again. In a bowl, mix the 1/4 cup of salt with the spices and muddle. Fill the cavities of the lemons with the salt and mash down into the jar. I used a long stick to push the lemons down and smash them. Add the whole spices as you add the lemons into the jar. The cinnamon sticks fit nicely on the side of the jar and add a little visual interest. Fill the jar with lemons as tightly as you can then fill the space with extra lemon juice. Wipe the jars clean and screw the lid on tightly. I like to put a date on the top so I don't forget when they were made. 

Fermentation will last about a month. Place them in a cool place away from the sun and make a note on your calendar. They are good for about 2 years unopened. Once opened, mine have been fine for a few months already. When you cook with them, you only need a little. I use 1 slice of lemon for a dinner for 4 people. The first time used them I added two whole lemons to two chicken breasts. I was like eating a radioactive salt lick. It also helps to rinse the lemon piece before adding it to the recipe.

Recipe #2

 This recipe is more salty and has a more Eastern flare. The mellower flavor lends itself to daily use instead of overtly Moroccan dishes. 

Ingredients: 

• 6 large lemons plus 2 for juice
• 3/4 cup sea salt 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbl fennel seeds
• 1 tbl shaved ginger

Directions:

Wash the lemons. Quarter and mix the salt/herb mixture into the center of the lemons. Smash down into the lemons and push them into the jar. Fill the cavity with extra lemon juice. Leave a small amount of headspace and seal. Store for a month to ferment. Can last up to 2 years.