My first introduction to preserved lemons was from Chef Stephanie Izard. I was doing a demo with her and she was doing a recipe with cauliflower and preserved lemons. I was like, what is a preserved lemon? Then I tasted it and was like, wow!! That is insanely bold lemon flavor and it is awesome!
Cauliflower with preserved lemons
I now love to roast cauliflower with preserved lemons. I obviously learned that they are a natural fit when I made the recipe from Stephanie Izard with her for the demo. I put my own little twist on it that works for easy weeknight dinners, but it captures the essence of the pairing alive and gives the cauliflower a great pop. Here is the recipe for the cauliflower with the preserved lemons.
https://happychefmama.com/2020/05/19/roasted-cauliflower-with-preserved-lemon/
Can I eat the whole lemon?
Yes, that is the best part about preserved lemons. You can eat the entire thing, skin and all. I remove the seeds, but they are much softer than usual. So, if you do get one, you can eat it.
What do you use preserved lemons for?
There are so many things that you can do with preserved lemons. You can make dressings, sauces, crostini, add it to stews, use it with veggies and so much more! It adds a wonderful brightness and tang to any dish. You can use just the liquid or the whole lemon.
Peppers or no peppers?
Some people add peppers to the preserved lemons. Some people do not. I do, I like the slight bit of heat that it adds to the liquid and the lemon pop. I use little Thai Red bird chili peppers. They are a small red chili pepper and they are perfect for this. You can certainly leave it out and preserve the lemons without it.
Preserved lemons
Ingredients
- 9 organic lemons
- Kosher salt
- 1 heaping teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 Thai red bird chili peppers
Instructions
- Scrub 3 to 5 organic lemons, enough to fit snugly in a medium jar with a tight-fitting lid (have 2 to 4 more ready on the side). Slice each lemon from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, almost cutting them into quarters but leaving them attached at one end.
- Rub kosher salt over the cut surfaces, then reshape the fruit. Cover the bottom of the jar with more kosher salt. Fit all the cut lemons in, breaking them apart if necessary. Sprinkle salt on each layer.
- Press the lemons down to release their juices. Add to the jar the peppercorns and bay leaves, then squeeze the additional lemons into the jar until juice covers everything.
- Slide the peppers down the sides of the jar.
- Close the jar and let ripen at cool room temperature, shaking the jar every day for 3 to 4 weeks, or until the rinds are tender to the bite. Then store it in the refrigerator.
