Is it backwards to give you a recipe for the vinaigrette before I give you the recipe for the Preserved Lemons that go in the vinaigrette?

Well, I suppose maybe but it’s just the way it worked out.

The recipe I used over a year ago came from either Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon or The New Book of Middle Eastern Food both written by Claudia Roden.  She gives three ways for preserving lemons, my choice was to preserve the lemons in salt and lemon juice.  It doesn’t matter which book, the recipe is the same.  It’s super simple to make and excruciatingly slow to be ready to use, at least six weeks and 10 is probably better.  Roden says they’re ready in four weeks but I wasn’t beginning to get the soft transparency in the peel until about 10 weeks, you be the judge.  Roden says they last up to a year.  I’ve had my jar in Dallas about that long and am still using them.

The lemons you use should be unwaxed.  If they’ve been waxed, the pickling of the skin won’t happen.

Preserved Lemons in Salt & Lemon Juice

From: Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon or The New Book of Middle Eastern Food both by Claudia Roden

4 unwaxed lemons                        4 tablespoons sea salt, coarse

The traditional way to cut these is to make 2 cuts top end toward bottom end but not all the way through the stem end.  That leaves you with sort of four petals of lemons.  Stuff each lemon with 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt and place in  sterilized jar. 

Leave on counter three to four days.  In that time, the skins will soften a little and juice will be pulled out by the salt. 

Press the lemons down into the jar.  Cover with more fresh lemon juice.  Leave in cool (refrigerator) place for about a month before beginning to use.

If the lemons are not covered by the juice, they may develop a white mold which Roden says is harmless and should be washed off.  I generally shake my jar whenever I use a piece or at least once a week. 

There is a quicker method in brine where the lemons are heated on the stove top.  Earlier this year, Sara of I Like to Cook used a method that produced lemons ready to use in a week here and she has several recipes that followed that look good.  Lydia has Paula Wolfert’s recipe for Preserved Lemons on The Perfect Pantry here and a lovely recipe for lentils with it.

When are they ready to use?  Most people scrap the pulp out and throw it away.  The skin then should be soft and take on something of a translucency.  You should be able to find them in higher end groceries or in specialty Middle Eastern groceries.  If you are unsure, check out what they look like for comparison.

Preserved lemons are the most commonly used ingredients in Moroccan cooking and are often found in the traditional tagines.  I’ll be fixing some tagines when we get back to Dallas.  Pickled lemons taste like lemon but take on another layer of flavor.

The weekend took us on windy, rainy walks on a log strewn sandy beach.  Rain does not lend itself to photo taking, so there are few photos to show you.