Preserved lemons

[senua]

I attempted to make some preserved lemons and seem to have succeeded: they are preserved and they are lemony. But - oh my goodness - they are salty. They are saltier than a salty thing. I try to eat a low salt diet (I have high blood pressure) so I really really notice the saltiness.

Is there a way to preserve lemons that doesn't involve salt or, at least, not so much of it?
Is the answer to freeze them instead?

I always thought the saltiness was kind of the point with a preserved lemon, a bit like anchovies - a piquant, unami type of flavour.

Did you wash them before using and just use the rind? I made some last year and they didn't seem that bad. And you only use a bit...

Sorry that's a bit hopeless as you obviously don't want the salt!

I always thought the saltiness was kind of the point with a preserved lemon, a bit like anchovies - a piquant, umami type of flavour.

I like some saltiness - I love olives - but this is just too salty. I had never actually tasted preserved lemons, only read about them in trendy cooking articles, so I didn't know what the finished product was supposed to be like. I kept hoping that they might mellow down a bit, but no.
I have tried looking for a method of preserving in oil but they all seem to start with a salt treatment first.