So, being an engineer, I need a definitive answer here: just how salty ARE preserved lemons?

M

marilynfl

Moderator
I've had them in dishes in restaurants, but failed when I tried to make quick ones (Mark Bittman version).

This batch isn't even preserved lemons...it's preserved lime kumquats, which are/were very very limey. They been in a jar for over a month since I made them before I left for PA and I just tasted a tiny piece.

Whoa. Seriously salty. Like Uber salty. I would be actually afraid to add this straight to a dish.

So there's my question: is this normal? Are preserved lemons supposed to be very, very salty? Am I supposed to wash these off before using them? Recipe says I can or I don't need too. I would be Mrs. Lot if I didn't.

Too many questions. Not enough answers.

PS: Recipe was from AMA: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen by Jose Centeno. It called for kumquats, but I had lime kumquats and used those.

https://books.google.com/books?id=JPCjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT16&lpg=PT16&dq=preserved+kumquats+with+lime+and+chile&source=bl&ots=GFUBy5zMlM&sig=ACfU3U2Zag8nbKnxYEXrhqaFQmB4pSvs0Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi6uNTn1bbnAhWpj3IEHfuQASMQ6AEwH3oECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=preserved%

 
Check my math...

From the USDA composition of foods database, fine sea salt has 39091 mg sodium per 100 g (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/536488/nutrients). That means your kumquats have 0.75*39091 = 29318 mg sodium per 230 g, or 127 mg sodium per gram.

On the other hand, again from the USDA composition of foods database (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/557291/nutrients), Moroccon preserved lemons (no entry for preserved kumquats) have 1200 mg sodium per 100 g, or 12 mg sodium per gram.

So your kumquats are 10 times as salty as preserved lemon. Yipes!

 
I'm not sure you could judge by just tasting them. Put into a dish they become more

a "part" and not the whole thing. I think they are pretty salty!
Here is a recipe for preserved kumquats which are made just like preserved lemons--layers of kosher salt and lemons. Looking at your recipe 1/4 cup of salt isn't a whole lot IMO for what would seem like a couple of cups of kumquats.
I'd get a recipe and use them and see. Sounds really interesting.

http://www.vermilionroots.com/blog/2015/6/2/kumquat

 
You can rinsed them.

As noted in the recipe, you should always rinse the portion you need prior to using. This will eliminate some of the salt. If the flavor is still too strong after rinsing -- or if you are on a low-sodium/sodium-restricted diet -- you can further decrease the salt content and taste by removing the flesh and blanching the peel in boiling water for 10 seconds prior to use.

 
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