Quick Preserved Lemons

Bonafide Indian and North African dishes more often than not contain preserved lemon, a semi-exotic ingredient than can be easily procured at your local megamart.But, we’re going to make our own. Why? Because homemade is better. Expect peak flavor and texture after about a month. As long as they’re kept refrigerated preserved lemons should keep indefinitely.

Ingredients

• 4 lemons, scrubbed and dried, plus the juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup kosher salt

Directions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.