03 Magazine: February 03, 2024

Recipe | Magazine 35
PRESERVED LEMONS
In this simple recipe we use salt to transform lemons to
create a culinary treat. The preserved lemons are ready
to eat as early as within three days, while also keeping
for many years. While you can use any lemon for this
recipe, a variety with a medium-thick peel is ideal, to
avoid the bitterness of excess peel. The preserved lemon
slices can be served on top of almost any dish, eaten
as‐is, as a couple of slices inside a sandwich, or mixed
into salads.
Recipe for 500ml jar
5 medium ripe and nicely yellow lemons
30g salt
2 teaspoons paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil, to seal
Slice the lemons into 5mm slices and remove as many pips as
possible, this will massively help reduce bitterness.
Mix the salt and paprika on a plate. Lightly touch one side
of each lemon slice in the mixture, shake to remove excess
salt and pack into a clean jar. If you touch both sides of the
lemon in the salt, it would be too salty. Even with one side,
we are not going for full coverage — just for some of the spice
mix to stick on. As you pack the lemons into a clean jar, the
juice from the lemons mixed in with the salt will start rising
up, acting as a brine.
Add lemon juice as needed so that the lemons are fully
submerged. If any lemons are floating, use a clean weight to
keep them down. Top with olive oil to seal and sit on the
kitchen bench out of direct sunlight.
After opening, store in the fridge.
Recipes extracted from The
Abundant Kitchen by Niva & Yotam
Kay, photography by Aaron McLean,
published by Allen & Unwin NZ,
RRP $49.99.