The peel, pulp and juice of these lemons can all be used in a variety of dishes. Meyer lemons are small, thin-skinned, and sweeter and juicier than regular lemons. You can use other varieties, but try to select those that are organic, so that you peels that have been sprayed with pesticides.
When using in recipes, keep in mind that since the lemons are preserved in salt, there is usually no need to add additional salt.
Preserved Lemons with Cardamom
6 small Meyer lemons (or other small organic variety)
½ cup kosher salt
4 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
1 cup lemon juice or more, if needed
Where can one buy Meyer lemons in New York?
Amanda,
I've seen Meyer lemons at Whole Foods, and other specialty grocers like Dean & Deluca and Lifethyme. Also, ask your produce manager - they might be able to order them for you.
If you're left high and dry and just must have that Meyer, you can buy them online through Melissa's produce (www.melissas.com).
skgr
As a longtime AT reader and non-commenter, I can't begin to describe how very excited I am to have this new section of the site! And kicking it off with cardamom was the best way to seal the deal with me and to get me to write something.
Love the new branch! I know you can use preserved lemons for Morrocan dishes, but what other food can you use the lemons for? I've been wanting to make this, but can't figure out how to use them.
Dani, here's what I do: whenever I make preserved lemons, because I like them so much, I usually end up eating them from the jar, whenEVER. I don't always put them in or on something. . . preferring instead to take my preserved lemons straight up! Try it!
LOL I never thought of that. I need to jump out of the condiment box and try it on it's own. Thanks!
Dani -
We'll be featuring some of our recipes using the lemons soon. Chop them up and mix with bread crumbs, roasted garlic, parsley, sliced shiitakes and roll up in boneless chicken breasts - tie with a string in a pinwheel and roast. Or, sauté them with garlic, pine nuts, a little white wine or stock, and toss with fettuccine.
That should get you started, no?
Welcome!
- Sara Kate
Cool! Loving this site!
I preserved some lemons around the 20th of September. The problem is, I never used them and also didn't refrigerate them. They're still sitting in the back of a dark cabinet, unopened.
Can I still use them for cooking or baking?
We make a batch of these every winter to use in the fettuccine with roasted garlic recipe, and it's a terrific weeknight meal. But last night, a revelation. We made pizza on the grill (hello, California springtime!) based on MattBites's post
http://mattbites.typepad.com/mattbites/2007/03/im_in_the_proce.html
and made the fettuccine recipe into a pizza flavor instead. Preserved Meyer lemon, roasted garlic, Parmesean, parsley, and oil make for a tasty, tasty pizza. Thanks for the recipe that provided our inspiration.
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