Fermented Lemons for Unique Flavour

As the saying goes, “when life gives you lemons, ferment the s**t out of them”. Nothing screams summer to me more than preserving lemons – in fact, fermenting any fruit – and this fermented lemon recipe is super easy but at the same time has so many varieties that once you’ve made it once or twice will let you experiment and explore for your, and your family’s own tastes and flavour preferences.

What to do with fermented lemons?

Aside from the taste, what I love with fermented lemons is their versatility. You can pretty much use them how you want. I incorporate intermittent fasting into my day as well as regular gym work and exercise. I love having one of these salted lemons first thing in the morning when I wake up. It gives me a great boost of both Vitamin C as well as salts in the morning that let me extend my fast into the late afternoon.

When using these preserved lemons, I find that the flesh of the lemon is too salty, so unless stated otherwise, in the examples provided below for incorporating these salted lemons into your diet and meal plans, these are using just the rind of the lemon:

• Chopped and sprinkled into pesto pasta
• Added to Cilbir (Turkish poached egg)
• Used as a base in chermoula
• Blending a little of the flesh into hummus and tahini
• Blending some flesh with olive oil and spring onion to make a zesty salad dressing
• Adding the rind chopped to any salad – leafy, Greek, Caesar
• Chopped finely with coriander (cilantro) and sprinkled on curries and chilli con carne
• Chopped finely and swirled through ice cream to make a delightfully tangy and healthy ice cream

The main thing to remember when using salted fermented lemons into your diet is that you want to minimise cooking them. Whilst you can cook with them (and they add an amazing twist to any meal) this will kill off the probiotic goodness that’s created through the fermentation process.

What if I want to zazz up the recipe?

Absolutely! Go for it! In this case, the lemon really is your oyster!

There are simply so many aromatics that you can add to the mix. Some of my favourites include cinnamon, peppercorn and cloves; mint as well as lavender. After recently sharing this recipe on reddit, one user suggested Basil, which will definitely be the next for me to try. However, just remember that what you add to your fermented lemons at the initial stage will have a profound influence on the end flavour. This is important, whilst lemon and mint may work fabulously when added to a green leafy salad, you may not want to add a heavily cinnamon infused lemon to a pesto.

So just consider therefore that what you add at the fermentation stage may influence how you feel you can use them at the end stage.

How long do preserved lemons last?

I generally find that if fermented at a room temperature of about 21 degrees celsius the fermentation period takes approximately 6 weeks. From that point onwards if stored correctly – in a cool dark place like a fridge or pantry, then they should last for up to one year. However for best results I’d suggest that a storage period of six months is followed for these fermented lemons. Having said that, I rarely find that a 1kg batch of lemons lasts more than a couple of weeks in my house in any case.

Having said that, there are some basic principles to consider. It is important to ensure that the lemons stay submerged under the brine and to check for any signs of mould or unusual smells. The lemons also should not be stored in plastic containers as there is a risk of chemicals leaching out of the plastic into the lemons and lastly, avoid anything with metal. Lemon juice on its own is highly corrosive! Add in salt and you have a metal eating monster! I have had the metal clasps on my kilner jars literally fall apart due to the metal being corroded away.

If you enjoyed this recipe for fermented lemons then you may wish to check out some of my other fermented preserves:

• Lacto Fermented Onions: Be Sure to Get BBQ Ready
• Foraged Wild Garlic and Fermented Lemon Pesto
• Easy Fermented Cherries Recipe: Make Your Cherries Pop
• Ten Easy to make Sauerkraut Recipes

---