Best Freezer Preserved Lemons Recipes

QUICK PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Trim the ends off the lemons. Slice each lemon into 8 wedges, removing any seeds as you go. Reserve as much of the juice as possible.
• Layer the lemon wedges in a wide-mouthed 16-ounce canning jar, covering each layer with salt. Pack the jar as tightly as possible, pressing down to release the lemons' juice as you go and leaving about 1/4 inch of headspace in the jar.
• Cover the wedges with the reserved lemon juice from the cutting board and the ends. If your lemons do not release a significant amount of juice, top off the jar with the juice of another lemon.
• Stash in the refrigerator for 4 days, then flip the jar over and age another 4 days before sampling. The peel should be nice and soft. Rinse before using.

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Toss the lemon slices in kosher salt to coat, and place them into a sterile 2 quart glass jar. Pour in the lemon juice, cover tightly, and let stand on the counter for 1 week. Turn the jar over daily. At the end of the week, top the jar off with enough olive oil to cover the lemons. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
• To use, pull the lemon pulp from the peel, and scrape out the pith to leave only the yellow rind. Julienne, and add to your favorite dish for a lemony zing.

PRESERVED LEMONS RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut off and discard the stem ends of the lemons.
• Cut each lemon into quarters lengthwise, but not all the way through. Leave enough rind at the end to hold the fruit together, about 1/2 inch. If you do go too far and a lemon falls into quarters, don't worry. It's still completely usable; it just won't look as pretty sitting in the jar.
• Over a large bowl to catch the juice, use your thumb to carefully squeeze out the juice from each lemon quarter. Go ahead and really smash the lemon to get all the juice out.
• Over the same large bowl into which you've squeezed the lemon juice, sprinkle the inside of each juiced lemon with kosher salt (about 1 tablespoon per lemon), working as much of the salt as possible into the lemon flesh as you go, packing the crevices with lots of salt.
• Close the lemons, and place them in a quart-size sterilized glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Make sure the lemons are packed in tightly so that they can't move freely. Compress the lemons as you add them to the jar, squeezing them in to release more juices.
• Pour the salty juice you collected in the bowl over the jarred lemons. Add more lemon juice, if necessary, to cover the lemons completely. Then add a generous sprinkling of salt (about 1 teaspoon).
• Seal and set the jar on the kitchen counter or other cool, dark spot for 7 days, shaking and turning daily.
• After two or three days, open the jar and compress the lemons to release more juices. If you have room to add another lemon, do so. The idea here is that tightly packed lemons won't be able to rise to the surface. Do this for the first week until the jar is packed as full as possible and the lemons stay completely submerged in juice.
• Transfer the sealed jar to the refrigerator and leave undisturbed. The lemons will be preserved and ready to use once the rinds are very soft, in about five weeks. You can continue to preserve them longer if you like, up to a year or more.

FREEZER PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Fill a sink or large bowl with a mixture of cold water and ice. Fill an 8-quart pot two-thirds full of water. Place pot over high heat, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and add lemons. Allow lemons to sit for 1 minute, then immediately remove them and place in the ice water bath. This will remove any wax or pesticides.
• In a medium bowl, combine salt and sugar. Cut lemons in quarters from the end down to about 3/4 inch from the other end; leave quarters attached at one end. Divide salt and sugar mixture evenly among lemons, heaping it in the spaces between the quarters of each lemon. Place lemons in freezer bags, and freeze for one month.
• To use, remove from freezer and cut into quarters. Separate pulp from skin, and discard pulp. With the point of a small knife, remove and discard any pith. Cut skin into julienne or dice.

OVERNIGHT PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Juice 6 of the lemons and set the juice aside.
• Partially quarter each of the remaining lemons so they stay together at the stem end.
• Pack about 2 t salt into the center of each lemon, re-form the lemons and place in a large zip-lock plastic bag.
• Cover the lemons halfway with salt. Add the reserved juice.
• Pack the lemons tightly in the bag, squeeze out any air and close the bag.
• Freeze overnight.
• Remove the lemons from the freezer, defrost and use for cooking.
• Pack any unused lemons tightly into a mason jar, adding lemon juice and enough salt to cover the lemons.
• Refrigerate until using. (She says they keep for 6 months, most recipes say 1 year).
• Rinse off the salt and proceed with cooking.