Preserved Lemons, Fast and Slow

An easily-acquired bit of exotica to dice up and use in a stuffing or topping, and/or, the quintessential all-purpose Moroccan ingredient for tagines, couscous, and many other dishes. The fast version below owes everything to Claudia Roden's excellent Arabesque.

Fast Preserved Lemons

4 or more nice, small, organic lemons
 
Kosher salt
 
Vegetable oil
 

The point of using organic lemons is to avoid skin dyes and waxes, but you are, of course, the boss. In any case, using the tip of a very sharp knife, score a few shallow lines end to end down the lemons, as if you were marking where to cut them into wedges. Don't let the knife fully penetrate the skin.
 
Put the lemons in a deep saucepan large enough, under ideal conditions, to hold them all snugly in one layer. Add one tablespoon salt per lemon to the pot, cover with water, and put a smaller pot lid on top to keep the lemons submerged, as they will want to float.
 
Bring the pot to a boil and simmer for twenty to thirty minutes, until the lemons are quite soft. They will tend to split along their incised lines as they cook, which is fine. Drain the lemons, and when cool enough to handle, cut through the incised lines, scrape off the flesh, and pack the skins in a glass jar with vegetable oil to cover. These will keep in the pantry for weeks, and indefinitely in the fridge.

Notes: Ms. Roden feels these speed-cured lemons need a few days curing in the pantry. I tremble to admit that I have used them right away, with results quite acceptable to my jaded tastes. If you, too, have such haste in mind, make sure the lemons are cooked long enough to be soft, but not so long that they will fall apart in whatever dish you have in mind.

Slow Preserved Lemons

Two dozen or more nice, small, organic lemons
 
Lots of kosher salt
 
A big and very clean glass jar with a cover
 

You need about two dozen lemons to cure a dozen, which is a decent amount to have on hand for the forthcoming couscous season. See my note above about organic lemons, and however many you start with, divide them in half. Cut half the lemons into quarters but leave the quarters attached by a half inch or so at the root end, so that the lemon stays more or less intact. Working over a large bowl, use your hands to press salt liberally into and around the lemons - you'll need about a tablespoon per lemon. As each one is complete, place them into the jar, pressing a bit as you go to keep the growing mass compact.
 
When half the lemons are in the jar, begin juicing the remainder, one by one, until all the lemons in the jar are covered with juice, or you run out of lemons, whichever comes first. You'll most likely run out of lemons, but if you don't, salt the unjuiced ones and add them to the jar as well.
 
Cover the jar and let the lemons sit for a few days. Every day for the first four or five days, give them a press with a large spoon to help extract the juice. If, after five days, the lemons are not covered with juice, you need to buy more lemons and add more fresh lemon juice until they are afloat.
 
Once you have enough juice to cover the lemons (even or especially if this happens on day one), I believe it is best to ensure the lemons stay fully submerged by weighting them with a sturdy plastic freezer bag filled with water. Just put the bag in the jar with the top open and add water until it expands enough to keep all the lemons covered in brine, then zip the bag shut. Keeping the lemons out of the air prevents the growth of a furry white mold which is actually harmless (you can just scrape it off and give the lemons a fresh stir) but which tends to create needless anxious discussions among uncertain family members and guests.
 
Your slow-cured lemons won't be ready for three or four weeks, so just relax. They look very nice on the counter, even with a plastic bag perched on top. If you have them submerged, you don't need to do a thing except agitate them a bit from time to time. If you have things so the top few are exposed to air, you should stir them every day or two. After three weeks, I believe you'll find that they are soft enough to use. You can then take out the bag and put them in the fridge, where they'll keep for months, getting slowly more pliant as time goes on.

Notes: I wish I could share Ms. Roden's enthusiasm for the fast-cured lemons. They're 100% better than nothing, and the only way to make a key ingredient in time for a glorious impromptu couscous gala, but the slow lemons rule in every way.
 
In any case, whichever way you go, most cooks scrape all the flesh, and possibly a bit of the white rind, from the lemons before using, then rinse them to get rid of excess salt. The more white you leave, the more bitter the flavor - don't be afraid to taste a little, to see what you like.
 
Preserved lemons are more versatile than one might think. Even if you never stew a single tagine, they make a deliciously aromatic and mysterious additive to many western dishes. Try using them in poultry or shellfish stuffing, or very finely diced as a topping to tomato salad or in bean soups.