Ask Ottolenghi: what’s going wrong with my preserved lemons?

Really pack the lemons into the jar, add a weight to keep them in place, and don’t forget to give the jar a firm tap before screwing on the lid

I’ve been using and preserving lemons since reading the Jerusalem cookbook. But how do I prevent them from floating?
Agata, Stockholm, Sweden
It’s great you’re preserving your own, but sorry to hear you’ve got floaters! The key is to really pack your lemons into the jar; so long as they have a bit of “give” (you know how some lemons can feel rock hard?) you should be able to push them into all the “corners” of the jar, so there’s no room for them to move about and rise up. The jar needs to be sterilised, too, as I’m sure you know – just putting it through a dishwasher will do the job. Also, the liquid surrounding the lemons should contain absolutely no water, just lemon juice and salt.

If you think they might still rise up, you can always add a weight to hold the lemons in place and keep them submerged. Either buy pickle (AKA fermentation) weights or, just as good, improvise by putting a smaller jar filled with water (and the lid screwed on tight!) on top of the lemons to hold them down. (Again, make sure the small jar is sterilised to prevent the possibility of the lemons spoiling.) Otherwise, a small plate could do the job.

Continue reading…

Please follow and like us: