Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Homemade Pickled Lemon

pickled lemon in a jar

You may have seen it called preserved lemon, but my husband's family has made it and called it pickled lemon for generations in Egypt. Regardless of the name, pickled lemon is easy to make and takes about a week to marinate. 

lemon pieces

You pickle the entire lemon including the rind.

You may be wondering why anyone would actually pickle lemons to eat them. Well, my husband is a lemon lover and pickled lemon provides the taste he is looking for to add to his sandwiches, salads, dinner, and other meals. 

Citrus, Fruit, Fruit Juice, Raw, Food

My husband and his siblings grew up eating pickled lemon in Cairo, Egypt and it is still a favorite of my husband until today! 

His mother always made her own pickled lemons, but when he came to the US, we always bought it In the Middle Eastern grocery. The other day, I was introduced to a new friend from Egypt who shared her recipe! It is fairly easy.. 

Lemons photo and picture

First start with a plate of kosher coarse salt. 
Then the lemons are washed well, sliced in small slices, one side gets coated with salt, and then placed into a small bowl to allow the juices to ooze out and the lemon to marinate. After a day (left on the counter she said), she transfers the lemon pieces to a small jar and allows them to sit covered on the counter for 1 week. (I decided to refrigerate mine).

pickled lemon in a jar


After a week, the lemon is pickled and can be enjoyed as a condiment on sandwiches, with meals, or alone as a pickle.

Ingredients: 
2 lemons, washed and cut into pieces 
Kosher salt 
Paprika

Directions :
Take each piece of cut up lemon and dip one side in kosher salt. Put all the pieces in a small bowl and allow the lemon to sweat for 24 hours. Pour into a small jar, add a little paprika for color and store covered for 1 week. 

MY NOTES: 
1. The liquid in the jar is from the lemon juice ( not water)




12 comments:

  1. Hi Judge, I love this easy streamlined recipe! I made them before and we never used them up! Thanks fir this recipe.

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  2. I never knew about this idea Judee. We have a beautiful lemon tree in our backyard and use lemons for the juice for a salad dressing or lemonade. Thanks for sharing this idea. Will have to give it a try.

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  3. I need to make a batch again too. Love pickled lemons!

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  4. Thank you for sharing this. I can think of a few dishes that would be nice with these on the side.

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  5. Came back to say, I have organic lemons and kosher salt on my list for marketing today! I will let you know how they turned out...

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  6. Delicious!...I love pickled lemons!....Abrazotes, Marcela

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  7. this recipe is different to the one I use but I will give it a try as I would like to see how these taste.
    from Tandy I Lavender and Lime https://tandysinclair.com

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  8. I love a bit of preserved lemon in my tuna salad! I've made my own before, but it's been a few years! I need to try your recipe!!

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  9. I'm so glad you posted this. I'm getting together with a friend in a couple of weeks to make these and I really didn't have a clue how (she does) and hadn't had time to look it up. But being a lemon lover, it sounded like great fun! Thanks for sharing this and the technique. And thanks, too, for stopping by Marmelade Gypsy -- it's always nice to see you there!

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  10. Love this lemon pickle. I grew up eating lemon and mango pickle with meals.

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  11. I've never tried pickled lemons.
    Gotta make these!

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  12. That is very simple! Thanks for sharing!

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