Steamed Salmon with Sweetened Preserved Lemon

The Hakka often preserve citrus in salt to use as a seasoning, in sauces, or mixed with hot water and honey to make a soothing elixir for sore throats. Long ago, Margaret Lai’s husband used to make salted lemons. Now her supply of homemade salted lemons comes from friends or the local Chinese market. She minces and mashes the lemons with garlic and sugar to make a paste that captures the key elements of Chinese flavor: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. She spreads the paste o