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Preserved Lemons

6 - 8 lemons

Easy

Prep 15 min Wait Time 2-4 weeks

Preserved Lemons are a common staple of North African and Moroccan cuisine and are nothing more than lemons that have been cured in salt for a few days/weeks. This is a great way to use up an abundance of lemons and have them for use later in the year. After a few short days soaking in salty lemon juice, the lemon peel is softened and bursting with lemony goodness.

What lemons to use:

You can use any lemons, but Meyer lemons are supposedly the closest to those traditionally used. Choose lemons that will fit inside the mouth of your jar. 4 medium lemons usually fill up a 500ml mason jar. Make sure you scrub your lemons first and choose lemons that have no bruises or blemishes that penetrate the skin.

Enhancing the flavour:

I make a mixture of rock salt and whole spices to stuff the lemons as I love a little more aromatic flavour to them but you can just use plain rock salt if that is all you have. Lemon juice is the usual liquid for filling up the jar although I have also seen water being used. I prefer to use lemon juice. You can also use bottled lemon juice to fill the jar or fresh lemon juice, if you are using fresh lemons, zest them first before you juice them and freeze the zest for using in other dishes.

Some great ideas for using the preserved lemons are:

Grains and Pasta – Hot dishes or Cold salads: Just because preserved lemon is a flavour from the East doesn’t mean you can’t team it with a little bit of Italy, chop up the skin of the preserved lemon and add it with garlic, olive oil and parsley for a simple pasta sauce, add in some green prawns or chicken for a serve of protein or toss through zucchini ribbons and a hand full of fresh spinach or roquette leaves for a vegetarian delight and sprinkle over the shaved parmesan. Grain salads such as quinoa, farro, buckwheat burghal can be brought to life with thin slices of preserved lemon tossed through the grains or blended into a dressing.

Sauces: Chopped pieces of preserved lemon make a fantastic addition to a salad, but I really like to whizz them into tahini, yoghurt, garlic and olive oil for a great sauce to serve with fish, vegetables or as a dip. Treat the preserved lemon-like lemon and add it into sauces where you want a bit of tang. It works really well with dried fruits, creating something special to add into your poaching liquid next time your poaching fruit.

Tagines,  Roasts and Slow-cooked dishes:  Chicken, lamb, fish and vegetable tagines with preserved lemons are certainly some of the most well-known dishes for these lemons. If you really want to wow your tastebuds, add a couple of slices of the preserved lemon to stuffings, rubs and marinades for your next roast. Be sure to wash the preserved lemon pieces before you use them and taste your dishes before seasoning as the lemons if not washed can add a little more salt than you think.

Ingredients

  • enough lemons to fit into your jar
  • 500g rock salt, depending on the size of your jar
  • spices like bayleaves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds
  • lemon juice

Recipe Steps

    1. Slice the lemons into quarters lengthwise, leaving about 1 cm on the bottom of the lemon still intact.
    2. If you are using the whole spices, combine roughly 1 tsp of each spice to 1 1/2 cups of rock salt.
    3. Add a little salt to the bottom of the jar.
    4. Gently open a lemon in half, sprinkle 1/2 a tablespoon of salt mix inside, then close. Open in the other direction and apply another 1/2 tablespoon salt to the remaining cut sides and close.
    5. Put the lemon in the jar and press down to release some juices. Complete with the other lemons.
    6. When all lemons  are in the jar press down firmly to release enough juice to cover the lemons. If you dont get enough juice out of the lemons, squeeze enough fresh lemons to then cover the stuffed lemons.
    7. Put the lid on the jar and store in a dark spot in your pantry for at least 2 weeks, or until you can squeeze the rind gently between your two fingers. You can then store them longer if you want to intensify the flavor.
    8. During the preserving process, once a day, make sure the top lemon is completely submerged in the liquid (otherwise there is a potential for mold). Once the lemons are ready, store them in the refrigerator indefinitely.

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