No Scurvy For Me!

Since moving to Aussie I have really started to appreciate the seasonality of food, especially fruit and veg. Although Aussie is huge it is a long way from anywhere and the driest place on earth. It means to cost of food is pretty high. As a result we are a little more savvy about what we buy and I love a bargin.

This may be why I ended up with two massive bags of limes. Normally the little green gems are an absolute fortune. In fact there was even a recent BBC article about the price of them... but at the moment they are in season and only $3 a bag.

So after having limes in all our drinks, making lime curd and limeonade, I was stuck about what to do with the rest. Here is a little recipe for preserved limes. These can be used the same as a preserved lemon and can be used from putting them in curries, to salads, eating them on their own or in Moroccan dishes.

I have taken a Nigella recipe for Indian preserved limes.

14 limes
400g of sugar
225ml of white wine vinegar
4 cloves of garlic
handful of fresh mint
6 tsps on rock salt


First up you will  need a storage jar. I have used one with a rubber seal. This needs to be sterilised, either run through a dishwasher cycle or boil in hot water for 10 minutes and dry in the oven.

Once you have your sterilised jar. Take your limes, cut of the tip and tail and slice lengthways into 6 pieces. Cut you garlic lengthways into strips.

Start to layer your limes in your jar, with the skins facing inwards, once you have a layer, sprinkles over two teaspoons of salt, some of your garlic and mint. Repeat this process till the jar is full.

With any remaining limes you are going to make a syrup to cover the limes in the jar. Add the juice of these limes (about 200ml), the sugar and vinegar to a pan and bring to the boiling reducing by a third to make the syrup.

Pour the syrup over the limes in the jar, shaking the jar to remove bubbles. Your limes may start to float, you can push them down the a piece of grease proof paper  (this keeps everything sterile).

Leave the jar for three weeks before using and keep in the fridge once opened. I will let you know how I get along with mine. If nothing else it looks pretty on the worktop.