Moorishly Citrus: Homemade Preserved Lemons Recipe

Preserved Lemons

🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 10 minutes
🥄 Yield: Makes 4 1/2 pint jars

Description:
Preserved Lemons are a quintessential ingredient in Moroccan cuisine, imparting a uniquely tangy and complex flavor profile to dishes like tagines, salads, and couscous. This recipe offers a simple and traditional method for preserving lemons, ensuring you always have this essential ingredient on hand for your culinary adventures. Optional spices can be added for extra flavor depth, and the addition of olive oil creates a protective seal, though it’s not mandatory.

Ingredients:

• 8 thin-skinned unblemished lemons
• 1 cup coarse salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil (optional)
• Optional Safi Mixture:
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 5 to 6 coriander seeds
  • 3 to 4 black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Lemons:

   • Scrub the lemons thoroughly under running water to remove any dirt or debris.
   • Dry the lemons well with a clean kitchen towel.

2. Cut and Pack:

   • Cut each lemon into 8 wedges, ensuring they remain intact at the base.
   • Toss the lemon wedges with a generous amount of coarse salt, coating them evenly.
   • Pack the salted lemon wedges tightly into sterilized 1/2-pint glass jars, layering them with optional spices like cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and bay leaf if desired.

3. Add Lemon Juice:

   • Pour fresh lemon juice over the packed lemons until they are completely submerged. Ensure the lemons are well-covered with juice.

4. Initial Preservation:

   • During the first week, rotate the jars daily, shaking them gently to distribute the salt and lemon juice evenly.

5. Maturation:

   • After the initial week, place the jars in a dark, cool spot for 2 weeks to allow the lemons to mature and develop their distinctive flavor.

6. Usage:

   • To use preserved lemons, rinse them under running water as needed to remove excess salt and pulp.
   • Discard the pulp, if desired, and slice or mince the preserved lemon rind as required for your recipe.

7. Incorporate into Dishes:

   • Add preserved lemon slices to Mediterranean salads for a burst of citrus flavor.
   • Incorporate sliced preserved lemons into chicken, lamb, or fish dishes halfway through cooking to infuse them with tangy goodness.
   • Coarsely mince preserved lemon rind and add it to rice water, couscous, or any grain water before cooking to impart a fragrant, lemony essence.

8. Storage:

   • There’s no need to refrigerate preserved lemons after opening.
   • Preserved lemons will keep for up to a year when stored in a cool, dark place.
   • The pickling juice can be reused two or three times over the course of a year, infusing subsequent batches of preserved lemons with even more flavor.

Enjoy the vibrant flavors of Morocco with these homemade preserved lemons, adding a touch of exotic flair to your culinary creations! 🍋🌿