Ingredients
Limes
- 1 kgsmall limes, thin-skinned
- 200 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 20% of the fruit’s weight
Optional
- 2dried chillies
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- extra lime juice, to top up
Directions
- Wash and dry the limes completely. Cut each almost into quarters from the top, leaving the base intact so the fruit stays in one piece.
- Pack coarse salt into the cuts of each lime, then pack them tightly into a clean jar, layering more salt between them.
- Twenty percent salt against the fruit’s weight is what makes this a keeping pickle rather than a fridge one, and it is not a figure to reduce.
- Press the limes down hard as you pack, so the juice is forced out. Within two or three days they should be submerged in their own juice; if not, top up with fresh lime juice, never water.
- Seal and stand the jar in the sun for the first two weeks, shaking it daily. The sun softens the skins and darkens them.
- Then move it somewhere cool and leave it at least six weeks in total. The limes will go from green to olive to deep brown and the skins will soften completely.
- They keep for years and improve throughout. The skin is the part that is eaten — sliver it finely into rice, curries and salads.
- Always use a dry spoon and keep the fruit under the liquid.
Technique
- Twenty percent salt, weighed. This is a room-temperature preserve and the salt is the entire safeguard.
- Top up with lime juice, never water. Water dilutes the acid and the brine both.
- It is the skin you want. The pulp inside goes to nothing and is usually discarded.
Substitutions
- Lemons in place of limes, which is the North African preserved lemon.
- A little turmeric or chilli in the jar, which is common in Mauritius.
Variations
- Chopped into an achard with chilli and oil.
- The Sri Lankan lunu dehi and Moroccan preserved lemon are the same idea.
History
Limes are packed in salt and left in the sun for weeks; the pickle keeps for years and is eaten in slivers with rice.
Frequently asked questions
What is Limon confi?
Limon confi is a fermented & pickled from Mauritius: small limes salted and sun-cured until dark, sharp and softly bitter. Limes are packed in salt and left in the sun for weeks; the pickle keeps for years and is eaten in slivers with rice.
How long does Limon confi take to make?
Limon confi takes 30 min plus 6 weeks curing of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 1-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Limon confi?
Yes, within limits. Lemons in place of limes, which is the North African preserved lemon. A little turmeric or chilli in the jar, which is common in Mauritius.
What is the most important thing to get right in Limon confi?
Twenty percent salt against the fruit’s weight is what makes this a keeping pickle rather than a fridge one, and it is not a figure to reduce.
