Learn how to make preserved lemons in this easy step-by-step tutorial! Preserved lemons are a powerhouse ingredient – lemon flavor on steroids – that will infuse your savory and sweet dishes with incredible flavor!
How To Make Preserved Lemons
Unlock one of the secrets of Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine and discover how preserved lemons transform a dish into something indescribably exquisite!
If you’re a fan of Moroccan and Middle Eastern cooking you’ve probably had the experience of thumbing through recipes, drooling all the while, earmarking the ones you particularly like, only to then scan through the ingredients and see the words: Â “Preserved Lemons”. Â Your heart sinks for a moment as you realize you’re sorely lacking this crucial ingredient (and simultaneously wondering, what the heck is a “preserved lemon” anyway??) Â And so with disappointment you un-earmark that page and move on to the next recipe.
DON’T let that scenario stop you again!
Preserved lemons are so easy and quick to make, last practically forever, and will enhance your dishes like nothing you’ve ever tasted. Â If you’re willing to take a few minutes of your time to make these preserved lemons, you’ll be able to reap your lemony harvest throughout the rest of the year.
Okay, so first things first. Â What are preserved lemons? Â They’re lemons that have been pickled in salt and their own juices and left to sit for a month before using.
Now that we’ve defined it, the second question is: Â Why should I give a hoot about preserved lemons? Â What’s the big deal anyway? Â I can make Moroccan and Middle Eastern food without them, thank you very much!
Yeah, that’s like saying I can enjoy Oreo cookies without the filling. Â THINK ABOUT IT.
Preserved lemons will transform your dish from something good into something amazing. Â Think about how much you love things flavored with lemon. Â Preserved lemons are lemons on steroids. Â They add an intense, concentrated lemon flavor to the dish without all the sour tartness. Â The preserving process tempers the tartness while accentuating the lemon flavor. Â Mildly tart but intensely lemony. Â See, I told you. Â Don’t think twice next time about leaving out this touch of heaven.
How to Use Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are used throughout Morocco, the Middle East and in certain areas of India to add flavor to a variety of dishes – everything from meats to salads, stews and sauces. Â And really, your imagination is the limit to how they can be used and enjoyed.
Here are a few more ideas:
Salad Dressings. Â Blend some preserved lemon into it and that dressing will love you forever.
Fish. Â Seafood and lemons are soul mates. Â Now think about relationship seafood and preserved lemons can form. Â Till never do us part. Â Whip up a lovely marinade for your fish with some finely diced or blended preserved lemon or add it to your sauce to drizzle over your fish.
Chicken. Chicken and lemon is a match made in heaven.  Add a bit of chopped preserve lemon to your favorite chicken dishes and see what happens.  Djej Makalli (from Morocco) is probably the most famous chicken dish featuring preserved lemons – it’s incredible!
Healthy Grain Dishes and Salads. Â Think nutty roasted barley or quinoa tossed with vegetables and tiny bits of preserved lemon with a tasty vinaigrette. Â Or how about a preserved lemon risotto or pilaf? Â Now you’re talking.
Pasta. Buttery pasta tossed with a creamy preserved lemon sauce?  Commmme to mama!
Dips. Â Try adding some preserved lemon to your hummus next time. Â Or to your baba ganoush.
Salsas. Â Next time you make your famous mango/pineapple/however-you-make-it salsa, add some diced preserved lemon to it. Â Life was never so good.
Here are a couple of mouth-watering recipes featuring preserved lemons:
Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Olives:
Moroccan Chicken, Apricot and Almond Tagine:
Moroccan Harira
So what are you waiting for? Â Let’s get started!
Say it with me: Â Hamad m’rakhad. Â Okay, let’s just use the English translation: Â Preserved lemons.
What Kind of Lemons Should I Use?
Doqq and boussera lemons are commonly used in Morocco. They have thinner skins and are sweeter than regular lemons. A great substitute are Meyer lemons. If you can’t find Meyer lemons you can use regular lemons such as Eureka or Lisbon.
It’s generally recommended that you keep them refrigerated. Â Of course, traditionally there would have been no refrigeration, but you know how it is nowadays. Â We’ve become germ-conscious to the extreme. Â But sometimes it really is better to just play it safe. Â In the fridge the preserved lemons will keep up to 6 months –Â at least. Â Meaning they’ll last much longer, but again, that’s the general recommendation for us Western Worlders.
How To Make Preserved Lemons
To get started, select some ripe Meyer lemons, if you can find them. Â Again, Meyer lemons are the kind most commonly used in Morocco and have the best flavor. Â If you can’t find any, use Eureka or Lisbon lemons. Â Organic is ideal if you can find them since it’s the lemon rinds you’ll be eating. Â If you can’t find organic, let the lemons soak in a vinegar-water solution for a few minutes to clean the outer peels, then rinse.
Trim the nubs off both ends of each lemon.
Slice the lemons into quarters, leaving the ends attached. Â So slice down just a little over 3/4 of the way.
Put a teaspoon of salt in the bottom of a pint-sized jar. Â Put another teaspoon of salt into the quartered lemon.
Stuff the lemon into the jar, open end down, and push hard to squish it and release its juices.
Put a teaspoon of salt over the top of the lemon.
Repeat the process, putting a teaspoon of salt inside the second lemon, and then squish it down hard on top of the first lemon.
You got it – add another teaspoon of salt on top of the second lemon, and repeat the process for the third and final lemon. Â Add a teaspoon of salt on the very top. Â The jar should be halfway full of lemon juice from having compressed the lemons. Â If needed, squeeze some extra lemon juice into the jar to bring it to the halfway point. And don’t waste that lemon – cut it up and stuff it into the jar. Â Now pour some water that’s been boiled and cooled (sterile) into the jar to fill it up the rest of the way. Â Repeat this process for however many jars you wish to make.
After you add the water, screw on the lid and let the jar sit at room temperature for 3 days, giving it a shake and turn it upside-down/right-side up a few times a day. After 3 days place the jar in the refrigerator and let it sit for at least 3 weeks before using. Â Keep the jar in the refrigerator. Â Whatever dish you use them in, discard the pulp (it’s the peel that is used) and thoroughly wash the peel to remove excess salt.
That’s it! Â Your preserved lemons are ready!
*taste bud choir breaks out into a stirring rendition of the “Hallelujah Chorus”*
For other great homemade condiments, be sure to check out my Homemade Tahini Paste and Teriyaki Sauce (you’ll never use store-bought of either again!)
How To Make Preserved Lemons
Ingredients
- 3 Meyer lemons , or Eureka, Lisbon, etc, organic recommended per pint-sized jar
- 5-6 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt (regular table salt contains iodine which will turn the lemons gray)
- An extra lemon for juicing
- Water that has been boiled and cooled sterile
Instructions
- You can make however many preserved lemons you like, but roughly 3 will fit per pint-sized jar.
- Thoroughly clean the lemons. Organic is recommended. If you can't find organic, let the lemons sit in some vinegar water for a few minutes, then rinse.
- Trim the nubs off both ends of each lemon. Quarter each lemon, slicing them down just over 3/4 of the way to leave the slices attached at the end.
- Put one teaspoon of salt into the cavity of each lemon.
- Place one teaspoon salt into the bottom of the jar. Put a lemon in the jar, cut-side down, pressing firmly to squish out the lemon juice. Put a teaspoon of salt on top of the lemon. Firmly press the second lemon down on top of the first lemon. Repeat with the third lemon, pressing down firmly. Add a teaspoon of salt on top of the lemon.
- The jar should be halfway full with lemon juice. If needed, squeeze some additional lemon juice into the jar to bring it to the halfway point. Don't waste that lemon; slice it and stuff the slices into the jar. Pour the boiled/cooled water into the jar to fill it to the top.
- Screw the lid on and let it sit at room temperature for 3 days, shaking it and rotating the jar upside-down/right-side up a few times per day. After 3 days transfer the jars to the refrigerator and let them sit for at least 3 weeks before using. Store in the fridge, will keep for at least 6 months (see Note).
Notes
* Whatever dish you use them in, discard the pulp (it's the peel that is used) and thoroughly wash the peel to remove excess salt. * USING OTHER CITRUS FRUITS: You can also make preserved limes, oranges, grapefruit and kumquats. The process is identical but because high acidity is required for proper preservation you will still need to top off the jars with lemon juice.  Â
bob jarnell says
Hi Kimberly
going to try this one, like the curried lentils which were excellent.
Always look forward to your recipes
best
bob
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Bob :)
Dagfinn says
My jar ia a bit bigger, is it a problem with air in the jar?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
No, the size of the jar doesn’t matter. What matters is that lemons are completely submerged in liquid.
Narda says
Hi, I have seen a few other recipes in which they use the whole lemon after the process, would you say there’s a fundamental difference between that and yours suggesting to only use the peel? Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Narda, it’s simply a matter of personal preference. The rest of the lemon gets extremely mushy and slimy over time but otherwise is fine to use if you want to.
Dawna Wood says
Will it be ok if I didn’t have any more room to add the water? The lemon juice filled up to the top.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dawna, yes that’s perfect.
Stephannie says
Thanks for the recipe! I just got a batch started. After pressing each lemon into the jar (I filled a quart size with seven lemons), the juice alone went to the very top and covered all of the fruit. At that point, it didn’t seem right to pour juice out so I could fit water.
It’s too late to change this jar but in the future should I not press the lemons as hard or do you think it’s okay to go without the water?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stephannie, no the way it worked out for you is ideal. The only reason to add a little water is if you don’t have enough lemon juice. So yours is perfect.
Gail Williams says
I followed your recipe a week ago and made two jars of preserved lemons. One jar’s lid keeps popping up so I unscrew it to let the pressure (‘gas’ ) out and the lemons appear to be fermenting with small bubbles escaping and rising to the surface. Should this happen? Will they still be OK to consume in two weeks time? The other jar of lemons has not fermented but in both jars the liquid has gone cloudy. Is this meant to happen?
I just want to make sure I won’t poison myself!!!
Wen says
A traditional way to weight preserved lemons down is to use a heavy stone. Sterilise it by boiling it (obviously it needs to be clean). A contemporary take is to wrap the stone in cling film before using. It acts as a press. Sufficient salt results in the juice slowly leaking out of the fruit (with the stone pressing down) over 3-4 days, without squashing them in the jar as you do. After 4 days they will be covered in salty juice. At this point remove the stone, and pour over oil (sunflower, olive etc) to seal the contents from air. Lemons don’t float on oil.
Kat says
I made these delicious preserved lemons this past spring and I store them in the fridge. Our power recently went out for 3 days. Are they still safe to eat?
Lola says
Yes Kat, the preservation process created Hydrochloric Acid- you’re good.
Robert B Rowe says
NO. The preservation process DOES NOT make HYDROCHLORIC ACID!!! And if it did, you should not ingest that!
Fermentation in a salt brine can make LACTIC ACID. And yes, this recipe will preserve the lemons even if not refrigerated as long as they are completely under the liquid and jars are stored cool, out of direct sun light.
Marty McGihon says
I saw some readers asking how to keep the lemons submerged. You can purchase glass canning weights or “pickle pebbles” for that purpose. You still need to have enough lemon juice to cover the lemons, but the weights will keep them under the juice.
Deborah Nelson says
Thank you for the wonderful directions and photos for preserved lemons. Making them today.
Maggie says
today Janie, TV chef made a dish with lamb, plum tomatoes,chickpeas and ras el hanout; he chopped the tomatoes, but also chopped the whole preserved lemons and added them to the casserole. in this case he use the entire lemon-what gives? ok to use the entire lemon?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Maggie, there’s nothing wrong with using the entire lemon, it just comes down to personal preference and whether you like the texture. It depends on what I’m making but I usually discard the pulp because it gets very slimy in the jars over time.
Diane says
I currently have an abundance of canning salt. Would that be fine to use for this ??
Dominique says
Wow….. you are making so clear re the peel only, that it makes me smile to see people dont understand it !! I have done preserved lemons in the past and they are fabulous ( among other ways to use them ) under the skin of a chicken before you roast it. Great flavour to the chicken.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s a fabulous idea, Dominique, and I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that one – mental note made!
Leslie Wittenberg says
No matter what I do, I still end up with air in the jar. I submerge them then they float up. I did cramp the jar full of peels. Will the still be ok? The first jar I flip over every day.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Leslie, yes they will be fine. Just keep flipping them through the brining stage to ensure the lemons soak up the salt solution (that will prevent mold).
Joan Williams says
* Whatever dish you use them in, discard the pulp (it’s the peel that is used) and thoroughly wash the peel to remove excess salt.
Can you explain this last statement, please? What part of the lemon do you use in recipes and do you do anything with the “juice” in the jar? Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Veronica, I’m not sure how to explain it any better – it says that it’s the peel that’s used. Remove and discard the pulp and use the peel.