Why: Preserved lemon is a trendy and expensive gourmet ingredient. If you are like most home cooks, you toss out lots of squeezed lemon halves every week. By taking a few minutes to chop them up in a salt and vinegar brine you’ll have a beautiful and delicious condiment to turn almost any plain dinner into something exotic. And, at almost no cost!
The salt: The coarse flakes of Morton® Coarse Kosher Salt are perfect for bruising herb stems and bringing out their aromatics into the brine that will cure the lemon peel in this relish.
Make the cilantro salt: Mash about 1/4 of cilantro stems and the Aleppo pepper with the salt in a small bowl.
Jar it: Pack the chopped lemons and the rest of the cilantro stems into a pint jar.
Make the brine: Boil the vinegar, water and coriander in a saucepan on high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro stem salt. Pour the pickling brine into the jar, and push down the lemon pieces so that everything is submerged. Put the lid on the jar and wait for it to cool and leave it at room temp for 24 hours.
Refrigerate: Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using. Will stay good in the refrigerator for about 6 months.
Substitute basil or parsley for cilantro, if you prefer. Use in any recipe calling for preserved lemons.
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