Salty Green Lemons
Lemons and salt are one of those matches that’s made in heaven with each ingredient both intensifying and balancing the taste of the other. By combining them in a simple fermentation, the lemons’ natural umami becomes richer and their taste becomes more complex and mellow as they age as well as ferment over time. This is a fairly standard recipe for what are called “preserved lemons” in Middle Eastern and North African cuisines. Traditionally, yellow lemons are used to make preserved lemons. However, green lemons—lemons that are picked before they have fully ripened—are an appealing alternative. Green lemons have a thicker rind than yellow lemons, which is what you want when preserving lemons. In addition, they have a fresher floral aroma and a spicier taste.
Green lemons create a preserve, which can be used as either a seasoning or condiment, that provides the all-important color of green needed in any dish in Setouchi cuisine as a symbol that one is cooking and eating in harmony with nature.
Salty Green Lemons
Shio Ao-Remon : 塩青レモン
Makes 1 cup (240 cc)
Main Foods
Lemon, 2-3, 1/2 lb. (225 g)
Seasonings
Moshio Seaweed Salt or Other Sea Salt, 15% of the weight of the lemons
This is 1 1/4 oz. (35 g) or 2 tablespoons of salt for this recipe
Directions
Wash and dry the lemons. Cut off the ends, then cut the lemons in half, and slice each half into 4 wedges and remove the seeds. Put 1 teaspoon of the salt in the bottom of a sterilized glass jar that will hold the lemons tightly. Add the lemon wedges, packing them down to release their juice and eliminate any pockets of air. Sprinkle some salt between each layer, saving 1 teaspoon of the salt to distribute over the final layer. Make sure the lemons are covered in juice and that the mixture fills the jar to the top, so that there is little room for air. You may need to add extra juice from another lemon. Give the jar a few shakes to stir everything up.
Leave the jar in a cool, dark place for a week, shaking every day to make sure the salt stays distributed. From time to time, turn the jar upside-down and let it stand like this for a few minutes. After a week, store in the refrigerator. They are ready to be used after 2-3 weeks and will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated.
Use
Salty Green Lemons are commonly used in cooking in the Setouchi “as is,” without rinsing their salt off, and used the same way as Japan’s intensely salty-sour umeboshi plums are used: chopped and added to onigiri rice balls, mashed and put on top of chunks of fresh cucumber to create a refreshing chilled side dish, and sliced and placed with shiso leaves inside thin slices of pork that are rolled up and pan-fried. You can also rinse them first to remove some of the salt, and then add them whole, sliced, chopped, or mashed to any kind of dish when a fragrant, pungent, complex addition of flavor is desired, including in salads and salad dressings, soups, stir-fries, and simmered dishes and as a garnish for seafoods and meats. They’re also great in cocktails.
Variations
The recipe can also be made with ripe yellow lemons.