My wife, Terri mentioned that she missed an Israeli couscous salad that she used to buy from a French deli. She remembered clearly that it contained preserved lemons among other things. I looked them up online and found that I am apparently the last foodie on earth to make my own preserved lemons.
There were slight variations in technique, some adding coriander seeds, cinnamon or a bay leaf and I’m guessing you could use other things to give the lemons a little different flavor. Some prefer Meyer lemons to other varieties. Others think Meyers are too sweet. The lemons I got were not a special variety and were only described at the store as “3 for $1.”
The basics: You need a clean jar with a tight-sealing lid, a bunch of salt (preferably sea salt or kosher salt that won’t give the lemons a chemical taste) and more lemons than you think you can fit in the jar. Cut the nubby ends off of the lemons then slice them lengthwise twice, without cutting all the way through to the end. You want them essentially quartered but still held together at one end. Pour about a quarter inch of salt into the bottom of the jar. Stuff 1-2 tablespoons of salt into the semi-sectioined lemons. Start adding the salt-stuffed lemons to the jar, pressing them down to get the juice releasing until you have a decent layer. Throw a thin layer of salt between layers and any spices you are including. Keep stuffing them in the jar until it is almost filled. Cover with one more layer of salt. Add juice from more lemons if the ones in the jar are not covered in their own juice. Close the jar tightly.
The jar needs to be turned upside down once a day for the first three days to circulate the contents and then every couple of days after that. They cure for 30 days before they are ready to use and at that point they can keep for 6 months to a year. Some say they should be refrigerated after the first 3 days. My two cents—salt is a natural preservative. Lemon juice is a natural preservative. Mixing a preservative with a preservative seems redundant so I’m assuming it’s going to be safe. I’m also assuming the main reason Moroccans would preserve lemons this way is because they didn’t have refrigerators and it’s hot there.
I’m sorry Terri will have to wait a month to get her couscous but I’m excited about how this will turn out. I’ll post an update once I have results of my little experiment.