Sugar lemons are a fairly common dish. It is both tasty and healthy. However, you can save such an exotic fruit by making an original product from it in another way. To do this, it will be enough just to salt them.
The tradition of salting lemons comes from North Africa. It was here that people especially needed to preserve lemons in order to eat them all year round. It should be borne in mind that salted lemons are no longer an independent dish that can be eaten like pickles, mushrooms, etc., but rather a seasoning. If you want to try to master new directions in cooking, it is advisable to practice in the business of salting lemons.
Lemon pickling recipe
To prepare such an original product, you will need:
- 4 things. lemons (2 for pickling, 2 for juice);
- a pinch of red pepper;
- salt (it is better to choose granular sea salt);
- garlic;
- half a glass of olive oil.
First, cut the lemons into thin slices - about 3-4 mm thick. Pour the salt onto a dish and dip each piece of fruit in it on both sides. Then place them in a clean glass jar. Spread some pepper and garlic from time to time.
After the jar is 3/4 full, squeeze the juice out of the remaining lemons and pour this lemon aromatic liquid over the fruits laid out in the jar to the very top. Then add oil to the jar.
It is imperative to use olive oil, because it protects lemons from mold and odor. Moreover, olive oil gives a very pleasant taste to salted lemons.
All that remains is to put the jar of lemons into the light. Soak them for 2 weeks. The signal of readiness will be the translucency of the slices. As soon as you see that they have become like this, you can move the jar to the cold.
What to consider when pickling lemons
Rinse lemons very thoroughly before pickling. It is best if their crust is uniform, not too thick, and free of any spots or defects on the skin.
If the lemon is in paraffin, be sure to wipe it off. To do this, it is enough to rub the lemons thoroughly with a brush during washing.
To give a more original taste to the product, you can add cinnamon, bay leaves, black peppercorns to the jar.
You can store salted lemons for about a year. They can be added, according to professional chefs, to meat and fish dishes, and can also be used as an additive to salads. Salted lemons give the dishes an original taste and aroma. In addition, they help to make the dish healthier, because salted lemons retain all vitamins.
