Preserved Lemons: Part 1

Preserved lemons have been on my To Do list for a while, ever since we had them at a Moroccan restaurant in Indianapolis last Spring. Ryan is a die-hard tajine fan and our savory and luscious lamb tajine was presented with a garnish of sliced preserved lemon, which had a tangy, tart and alluring flavor. 


Since February is citrus season in Arizona, and since I was blessed with thee bags full of lemons and oranges and grapefruits from a friend, I decided that now was the time. A little internet research yielded some pretty simple instructions: wash the lemons, cut the tip ends off, cut an "x" in each from one end to about an inch from the other end, stuff generously and vigorously with coarse sea salt, and then pack tightly in sea salt in a jar and let sit for a month or so. So the initial steps have been completed and I now have a jar of salty lemons sitting in the fridge, dated and waiting for an early-March tajine binge. This will be very exciting.