Swiss Salted Lemons

The following recipe is translated (by me) from the recent edition of “Landliebe”, a Swiss country-living magazine.  It’s my favourite magazine, and as soon as I saw this recipe I had to try it!  My lemons are now in the end of the curing phase, and almost ready to use!  Looking forward to it, and when I find and try a good recipe to use them in, I’ll post it here.  The sky’s the limit, really – you can use these in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Polynesian, Caribbean, or South American cuisine, to name a few.  The trick to doing this according to the proportions of the recipe is finding the right-sized jar; too roomy, and you’ll need a lot more lemon juice to cover the lemons (I topped mine up with lemon and lime juice).

The peeling of these is soft and edible.  Finely chopped, it adds flavour to any meat or vegetable.  Usually additional salt is unnecessary.

Salted Lemons

4 lemons – untreated

Wash in hot water, and then lay in a vat of cold water for ONE WEEK, changing the water daily.

After 1 week, slice into the lemon peeling in diagonals around each lemon, so that it goes deep but remains whole. Press together lightly, and in each opening sprinkle: 1/4 tsp. Coarse-grained salt

Layer the lemons into a canning jar, then add:

1 lemon’s juice

1 Tbs. Coarse-grained salt

1 whole clove

1 bay leaf

1 black peppercorn

With the ball of your hand, press the lemons together and seal the jar.  Place in a cool, dark place for 3 weeks.

They are good for 1 year kept in a cool place, even when the jar is opened occasionally.