Preserved Lemons

[Bill Miller]

The new Central Market cookbook has a recipe for a Mediterranean salsa that contains tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives among other things. I added a diced preserved lemon and it was even better!

It also contains chopped red onion, garlic, fresh oregano, balsamic, evoo, and salt and pepper. Add toasted pine nutsand crumbled feta just before serving.

Edited December 14, 2005 by Bill Miller (log)

[Wolfert]

The new Central Market cookbook has a recipe for a Mediterranean salsa that contains tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives among other things.  I added a diced preserved lemon and it was even better!

←

That is a beautiful combination. What did you serve it with?

You might be interested to know there is similar Tunisian salsa called sauce Kerkennaise. It is served with grilled octopus or shrimp.

[Kim D]

With preserved lemons, the prize is the skin, right? Wouldn't thin-skinned Meyers lemons be less than ideal? Does their sweetness seem odd to someone used to traditional preserved lemons?

←

Actually, the fragrant, thin-skinned Meyer lemon can substitute for the lim doqq lemon, the creme de la creme of Moroccan lemons destined for the salt pot. The taste isn't a perfect match but it's close enough. When using them, add at the end of a dish to avoid falling into shreds

.

The thick-skinned lemon called limun buserra is similar to the Californian Eureka and after curing you can use it in a tagine without it falling apart..

←

That is very good to know!

- Kim

[Bill Miller]

The new Central Market cookbook has a recipe for a Mediterranean salsa that contains tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives among other things.  I added a diced preserved lemon and it was even better!

←

That is a beautiful combination. What did you serve it with?

You might be interested to know there is similar Tunisian salsa called sauce Kerkennaise. It is served with grilled octopus or shrimp.

←

I finished the ingredient list in the original post. Serve with pita chips or toss with pasta and serve as a main dish.

[Kim D]

Anyway, I was wondering why the 30 day lemons are good for a year and the 7 day are only good for a week. The biggest difference in the recipes (other than the ratio of salt to lemon) is that the 7 day lemons are cut into 8 pieces while the 30 day lemons are kept in one piece - albeit they are quartered by cutting do

I think I am responsible for promoting the '5 day preserved lemon." See page 33 in my book, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, 1973. Please allow me to explain: The quickie method requires cooking of the lemons rather than slow curing. These lemons would rot if left around any longer than 1 to 2 days.

Making a big jar of preserved lemons with a 30 day cure allows you to have lemons for a long time. And, the lemons just get better with time.

The lemons are more attractive and more useful in Moroccan recipes if partially quartered rather than cut into eighths. Either way, you need to salt for 30 days

-snip-

←

The more I read, the more I get confused.

The 7 day recipe on page 303 of The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen does not call for cooking the lemons. It calls for salt, lemons, lemon juice, a half pint jar and room temperature. Is there a step missing for cooking the lemons? If not, what is it that makes these lemons cure in 7 days instead of 30?

I found a recipe* for Preserved Lemons that says to "pour in enough boiling water to cover lemons" and then leave the lemons (a mixture of doqq and boussera) for at least 3 weeks before using them. "The lemons will keep in this mixture indefinitely if stored in a dry place.".

What does the boiling water do? Alton Brown, are you there?

My degree is in engineering, not chemistry so I don't understand what it is about cooking the lemons that would make them rot while pouring boiling water over them would not cause them to rot.

Rober Carrier did have an explanation for why you should not use your fingers to extract a lemon. "Never touch preserved lemons in the jar with an oily or greasy spoon, as fat will spoil the pickling mixture." He goes on to say "Don't worry if a white film forms on preserved lemons in the jar; just rinse it off before using lemons.".

That being said, I'm making the 30 day recipe. As written on page 303 of the Slow Mediterranean Kitchen.

* Taste of Morocco by Robert Carrier 1987 page 64

[Bill Miller]

I add no water, hot or otherwise. Lemonjuice comes from mashing them with the salt over a period of days--it will finally cover the lemons--I just believe it takes 30 days including a week of mashing down.

[lamington]

On occasion, my preserved lemons discolour during the curing process/storage - is this a common occurrence? (I'm afraid I'm chromatically challenged so the exact colour escapes me, but it didn't look yellow - darker... useless description, sorry).

[Bill Miller]

On occasion, my preserved lemons discolour during the curing process/storage - is this a common occurrence? (I'm afraid I'm chromatically challenged so the exact colour escapes me, but it didn't look yellow - darker... useless description, sorry).

←

No problem, as long as the smell and taste is ok.

Edited December 21, 2005 by Bill Miller (log)

[lamington]

No problem, as long as the smell and taste is ok.

Thanks! I've always cooked the a** out of the discoloured ones to make sure they wouldn't kill anyone:) Now I can rest easy.

[Jmahl]

Now I am totally convinced that I never had an original thought in my life. Some friends brought me a bag of lemons from Arizona and I considered trying to preserving them. I found Ms. Wolfert's receipe on Epicurious.com and they went into the jar today. Here is the result.

Then I sat down to look for a thread on preserved lemons and what do I find? A thread with responses from the author. What can be said?

I will report back on the results in a month.

[Jmahl]

Well the month is up so last night we cooked up Djadja Zetoon (Moraccan-Style Lemon Chicken with Olives). The preserved lemons came out great - watch the salt.

Try making them when lemons are cheap. Its worth it.

Good eating,

Jmahl

[angrykoala]

They're great, indeed!

Try mincing the peals, and sprinkling them atop a ceasar salad. Also wonderful in couscous, and minced then frozen, and used as a garnish for all manners of tataki (esp. tuna)

[Pitter]

Preserved lemons are my "secret ingredient" in many of my preparations -- bean soups of all kinds, salsas, stews (lamb, chicken, even beef) and egg based sauces, especially for fish. It pulls together the elements in the same manner as anchovies, plain salt, acids, fish sauce. No wonder -- it is salt and acid combined, but much more complex, with a haunting flavor.

So here's my problem: I bought from my distributor a huge jar of these, as I knew they were as good as I could make myself, and they were very inexpensive. I left the jar out too long at room temp, and the top developed mold. I peeled it off, and decided it was harmless in the same way that mold on olives, while unsightly, is perfectly fine. Their flavor has not been compromised. I remember reading that Ms. Wolfert keeps her olives at room temperature, that they get moldy, and that she prefers them this way. Are my lemons still SAFE? I don't want to poison anyone! And, if they are still edible, can I try the water-in-the-bag trick to keep them submerged, and then store them at room temperature? I'm a bit short on refrigeration space.

[Jmahl]

Without any basis in fact - try adding more salt and lemon juice -- nothing should be able to live in that.

Good lemons,

Jmahl

[andiesenji]

I rinse one well, separate it into sections and toss it in with a batch of onions to be caramellized. It adds a piquancy to the end result I have not been able to duplicate with anything else.

[Smithy]

I wish I could answer the "safe" question. I hope someone else does. Mold, eh? My guess is that it's the standard citrus mold that ultimately wrecks the flavor and rots any (fresh) citrus - harmless based on my experience - but I don't know that my guess is correct.

I like to chop up bits of preserved lemon peel and add it to my 3-bean salad (which is generally more of a 5- or 6-bean salad), and use some of the pulp in the dressing. Bits of preserved lemon chopped up and added to pilaf, or to the pan sauce built around sauteed chicken, are other favorite uses. I love the idea posted just above about adding to onions for caramelizing!

[Wolfert]

Preserved lemons are my "secret ingredient" in many of my preparations -- bean soups of all kinds, salsas, stews (lamb, chicken, even beef) and egg based sauces, especially for fish.  It pulls together the elements in the same manner as anchovies, plain salt, acids, fish sauce.  No wonder -- it is salt and acid combined, but much more complex, with a haunting flavor.

So here's my problem:  I bought from my distributor a huge jar of these, as I knew they were as good as I could make myself, and they were very inexpensive.  I left the jar out too long at room temp, and the top developed mold.  I peeled it off, and decided it was harmless in the same way that mold on olives, while unsightly, is perfectly fine.  Their flavor has not been compromised.  I remember reading that Ms. Wolfert keeps her olives at room temperature, that they get moldy, and that she prefers them this way.  Are my lemons still SAFE?  I don't want to poison anyone!  And, if they are still edible, can I try the water-in-the-bag trick to keep them submerged, and then store them at room temperature?  I'm a bit short on refrigeration space.

←

I don't remember saying that I like my olives moldy, but we can get to that in another forum.

Preserved lemons are always left out in Morocco.

If you are worried I would put them in the fridge to stop the process of developing mold.

Another thing you might do: submerge the whole lemons in clean water and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and use them right away.

[dockhl]

I've made Preserved Lemons in the past (yum) but just got a bunch of delicious, juicy oranges from a friend's tree..................

Has anyone out there preserve4d oranges in the same way? I love the thought of spicy (cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay) and salty with the naturaul sweetness of the orange. Any suggestions?

[andiesenji]

I have tried it with bitter oranges - the ones that grow on trees that have grown back after the grafted stock has been killed by frost and with Seville oranges and some little sour oranges I found at the middle eastern market a few years ago - I don't remember what they were called.

They were okay, quite different from preserved lemons, but nicely aromatic.

I suggest you ask Paula Wolfert, send her a PM, if anyone would know, she would.

[Kouign Aman]

Does it matter if you use Eureka or Myer lemons to preserve?

[dockhl]

Does it matter if you use Eureka or Myer lemons to preserve?

←

I've used Eurekas but I'll bet Meyers would be lovely.

I put up a jar of oranges yesterday with a cinnamon stick, coriander, black pepper, and a bay leaf........(I think that is all !). I can't wait ! Oh, and I stuck a lime in there, too.....

[lperry]

Meyers are fantastic. I did a two liter jar last year and the remainders are now in my refrigerator. (There was a long thread somewhere about the refrigeration issue, so I erred on the side of caution.)

-L

[dockhl]

Meyers are fantastic.  I did a two liter jar last year and the remainders are now in my refrigerator.  (There was a long thread somewhere about the refrigeration issue, so I erred on the side of caution.)

-L

←

I was wondering about that...

[shelly59]

Add my name to the list of preserved lemon converts. I have a jar of mixed Myers & Eurekas in my fridge ( They are about 45 days old) and use them in my tuna salad, in my pesto and in a little quickie veggie dip of yogurt (Greek-style) curry powder, black olives minced and preserved lemon diced finely.

MY question is this: How do I properly maintain my lemons? Do I add one for each one taken out? Do I add more lemon juice and salt? Just more lemon juice? I would like to keep a supply on hand at all times as they really are versatile..

[dockhl]

Here's a new question.

I've made several batches of lemons, wonderful, delicious.

The lemon juice/salt brine gets really thick over time. Since they came out fine I am assuming that's OK but I've never read anything from anyone else about this happening.

Any input?

Kathy (who loves to eat them straight from the jar, in small quanitites )