Preserved Lemons Two Ways: Weekend Project?
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I typically don’t/never do this: 1. Post a recipe I’ve made only once. 2. Suggest you make something I’ve never tasted.
Why am I making the exception today? Well, this is the thing: preserving, as many of you know, takes time, and while I would prefer to wait a month to tell you how these preserved lemons turn out, I would prefer more if in a month from now you actually had these preserved lemons on hand, so when in the event I post about something else, something perhaps like the chicken tagine with preserved lemons and green olives I had at Tara Kitchen in early December, a dish I cannot stop thinking about and so hope to recreate at home, you’ll be able to participate, too.
Make sense? I mean, what if on February 10th, I posted about said tagine and exclaimed: Friends, you HAVE to make this. It is the BEST thing you will ever eat. All you need is a chicken, some stock, a bunch of herbs and preserved lemons. You would be like, are you serious? Oh sure, let me just run to my pantry and pull out my jar of preserved lemons. I mean, doesn’t everyone spend all of citrus season slicing and salting and stuffing Mason jars full of lemons? Couldn’t you have given us a head’s up? How hard would that have been? Am I right? Just making sure I can sleep at night.
And so today I offer you two recipes for preserved lemons, one from Jerusalem, which will be ready in four weeks, and one from the September 2013 Bon Appétit, which will be ready in two weeks. Both sound promising. Fingers crossed?
PS: Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Preserved Lemons
PPS: Canal House Chicken Thighs with Preserved Lemons
The first method, from Jerusalem, calls for a two phase process. During the first phase, scored lemons stuffed with salt sit for a week in a Mason jar. During the second phase, rosemary, chile, lemon juice and olive oil are added to the jar and everything mingles together for three more weeks.
After 1 week, add a dried chili or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and a sprig of rosemary.
Update: 3/10/2014: Upon returning from a Tara Kitchen cooking class and learning that the owner, Aneesa, purées her preserved lemons — lemons, salt and juice — and uses spoonfuls of the purée in her dishes, I whizzed my whole batch of Jerusalem preserved lemons in the food processor and now have a jar of purée I am certain will last a decade.
Here’s a little more I learned from Aneesa about making/using preserved lemons: Aneesa does not use Meyer lemons at the restaurant because of cost, but she believes their thin skin makes them ideal for preserving. She uses the more traditional preserving method (the Jerusalem method vs the BA method). She never rinses the lemons before using because once her lemons are preserved, she purées the whole batch and uses spoonfuls of her puréed preserved lemons in various dishes.
The second method, from Bon Appetit, calls for boiling the lemons first, then submerging them in a brine. From the bit of recipe comparison I did on preserving lemons, this method, which calls for a fair amount of sugar, seems to be a bit unconventional. That said, BA described the lemons as “the best [they’ve] ever tasted.” The recipe comes from Philip Krajeck, chef of Rolf & Daughters in Nashville.
PrintTraditional Preserved Lemons
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Description
Source: Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
Having made these several times now, I’ve made a few teensy changes: I don’t add the rosemary and chilies anymore—I only use lemons, salt and lemon juice. After the 4 weeks, too, I purée the lemons, salt, juice and all. This was a tip I learned from Aneesa, the owner of Tara Kitchen in Schenectady. I find having the purée on hand to be much more user friendly.
Ingredients
- 6 lemons (or however many you want to make)
- 6 tablespoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt
- 2 rosemary sprigs, optional (see notes)
- 1 large red chile, optional (see notes)
- juice of 6 lemons
- olive oil (see notes)
Instructions
- Before starting, find a jar large enough to accommodate all of the lemons snugly — I used a 2-quart jar for my 8 lemons. To sterilize it, fill it with boiling water, leave for a minute, and then empty it. Allow it to dry out naturally without wiping it so it remains sterilized.
- Wash the lemons and cut a deep cross all the way from the top to within ¾ inch from the base. Stuff each lemon with about 1 tablespoon of the salt (if lemons are small, use 2 teaspoons) and place in the jar. Push the lemons in tightly so they are squeezed together snugly. Seal the jar and leave in a cool spot for at least a week.
- After the initial period, remove the lid and press the lemons as hard as you can to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible. Add the rosemary and chile, if using, and the lemon juice, and cover with a thin layer of olive oil—I don’d do this olive oil step. Seal the jar, transfer to the fridge, and leave for at least 4 weeks. The longer you leave them, the better the flavor.
- If desired, purée the whole batch—lemons, salt, juice and all.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
Preserved Lemons in Brine
Description
Source: Philip Krajeck via Bon Appétit Note: I started with four lemons and then ended up boiling four more because there was plenty of room in my 2-quart ball jar and plenty of brine as well.
Ingredients
- 4 to 8 lemons, I used Meyer but you can use any kind
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 7 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 clove
Instructions
- Boil 4 scrubbed lemons until softened, 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer lemons to a bowl of ice water. (Oops, I didn’t do this.) Reserve cooking liquid.
- Using a paring knife, deeply score lengthwise 4 times, leaving lemons intact.
- Whisk ⅔ cup sugar, 7 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds, ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 clove, and 3 cups hot cooking liquid in a bowl. Transfer lemons to a one- or two-quart heatproof jar and add brine. Cover and chill at least 2 weeks. Update: Store these in the fridge. I store the Jerusalem variety at room temp, but I think these (with all that sugar) should be refrigerated unless you keep your house very cold.
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177 Comments on “Preserved Lemons Two Ways: Weekend Project?”
i’m making preserved lemons this morning! Love the comparison you have here.
Quite interesting to see that Tara uses the whole lemons. I seem to recall from Jerusalem, that Ottolenghi in serveral recipes points out to discard the flesh and only use the rind of the lemons.
Have you tried both and can tell a difference — mashing up everything vs. using rind only? Does Tara give a reason for her approach (other than cost)?
Hi Hendrik,
I have loaned out my copy of Jerusalem to a friend, so I can’t check it, but I am sure you are right. My whole batch of Jerusalem preserved lemons has been puréed, and I love the flavor of the purée, but unfortunately I can’t comment as to how it compares to using just the rind. I do still have my BA preserved lemons, and those are whole, and when I use those, I do use rind and flesh. The flavor of those, however, are much different than the Jerusalem ones, however, because there is sugar in the mix. So, I’m not being much help here, but in sum, I would say that Aneesa from Tara Kitchen purées her lemons for convenience, and that if it weren’t such a pain to chop up the preserved lemons, she would do that, and I imagine she would use both rind and flesh. Can’t say for sure, however, but that’s my hunch. Hope that helps!
When you puree your Jerusalem batch do you remove the rosemary sprig or leave it in? I was sent a whole box of lemons form a dear CA friend and this will be the prefect way to use them, plus I can send her a jar for her kindness. Thank you.
I just made the brined version. Should I use them sliced with chicken/fish, etc? I changed the spices a bit since I’m not doing Moroccan food right now. Suggestions? I put a link back on my blog too:) Thanks, Nancy
Definitely! Just remember that a little goes a long way. I have a pinterest board with just a few ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/alexandracooks/preserved-lemons-how-to-use-them/
Let me know if you make any discoveries!
Making my second batch of the Ottolenghi lemons, but I found the recipe a little unclear on a couple of points. When he says to squeeze out the juice after a week, does he mean to really juice them so that there is just the rind left, and add this juice back into the jar? Or just push them down in the jar to squeeze out some juice, and then add extra juice from more lemons to cover? Also – 1 large red chile: fresh, dried, whole, cut up?
Hi Alec,
I took it to mean just push down on the lemons in the jar to squeeze out their juice, then add the additional lemon juice to cover. I used a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, but I think you could use any dried chile, and I would just leave it whole. I think the flavor it imparts should be subtle. Hope that helps!
Do you purée the whole lemon? All of the brine too?
Hi~ I am in the process of making the preserved lemons using the Jerusalem method. The lemons are in the first stage, soaking in the mason jar, but in a day or so, they will be ready to have the rest of the ingredients added. When they are ready to use, I would like to puree them the way you did. Now comes a silly question. What did you do with the seeds, remove as many as possible or just grind them up with the lemons?
I plan on using the lemons in the Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives recipe. I even bought a tagine!
Your site is wonderful! I love and recipes and the pictures.
Louise Adams
Hi Louise! I hope I’ve got to you in time. First, thank you for your kind words — means so much! Second, I’m so excited you bought a tagine — I love mine and am so looking forward to cooler weather to make this recipe. It’s one of my favorites. I also love the chicken thighs with preserved lemon recipe: http://www.alexandracooks.com/2014/11/18/genius-chicken-lemon-canal-house/
As for your question, I just grind the seeds up with the lemons — I’ve never picked out any. The lemon purée does have some texture to it, but the seeds aren’t detectable. Hope that helps. Let me know if there is anything else. Exciting!
My huge meyer lemons are tucked nicely in their jar….but what type of chiles are suggested
Nice! In Jerusalem, they say: 1 large red chile…kind of vague. I think you could use anything really — the flavor and spice imparted will be subtle. I used crushed red pepper flakes, and they worked fine.
In the first method…when pureeing, are you puteeing the rosemary and chilies as well? And this can all sit out unrefrigerated?
I did! The flavor is very subtle. You could remove before pureeing too — I don’t think it will make much of a difference. And yes, amazingly, it will last at room temperature for months. If you have space in the fridge, it will last longer there, but because of all of the salt, room temperature storage is fine.
Have a lemon tree that just produced a ton of lemons. Would like to try this first recipe. Does the purée need to be refrigerated?
I’m envious of your lemon tree! See below re storage.
Does the purée need to be refrigerated?
It depends on how long you want to store it for. It will keep for months at room temperature (provided your kitchen/pantry is not too warm), but if you have space in your fridge, it will keep longer there. Because there is so much salt, its shelf life is long.
I’m embarrassed to ask but in the BA recipe, is it asking for a clove of garlic or the spice clove?
Don’t be embarrassed! It’s a clove as in the spice (not a clove of garlic).
Thank you for the reply! I was about to put a clove of garlic when I thought “hmmm, it’s strange it’s worded like that. Perhaps it means the spice instead”. Glad I checked. Either way will probably be good. I made mine a few days ago and will now add that last little clove! Thanks!
Sure thing, Susie!
When I opened the jar it fizzed a little bit and some small bubbles rose up to the top. Is that normal?
Hmmm, I’ve never had that experience, but they’re probably fine. Which recipe did you use? The one that includes sugar, too? Or the one that is just salt? Did you store them at room temp? I always store mine at room temp, but if you live in a warmer climate, you may want to refrigerate them.
If it fizzled, I wouldn’t eat then? Usually that means it’s gone. My salsa does that. I’m guessing it was the addition of sugar. Always side on precaution here. Food poisoning isn’t fun
I’ve made preserved lemons, but am looking to do it again. As it is I have a jar of store bought from Sur La Table that I’m positively addicted to! I love to slice up chunks of the lemon and put it on my avocado toast and a healthy sprinkle of crushed chipotle flakes. Heaven!! I do have a question for you, have you heard of putting whole garlic cloves in with the salt and lemon? I also have a garlic addiction! Just wondering if that might work… 🙂
Oooh, I’ve never thought to put preserved lemon on avocado toast … genius! And I think adding garlic to the salt and lemon sounds delicious! Don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
Garlic is not safe to preserve this way; it can grow botulism!
very true – never fresh garlic in oil or fermented foods – rodale organic has an excellent article on how to safely preserve and use garlic – http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/6-ways-make-garlic-last-longer
You can ferment garlic. I’m doing it right now. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and peeled garlic, in a wide mouth pint jar. I bought 3 tops designed for wide mouth Mason jars. The other two, each 2 quart jars, sauerkraut. One green cabbage, the other red. Garlic is smelling good, but not done yet. Just started it 6 days ago. A few more days.
I’ve fermented lots of veggies. I always use ORGANIC veggies, garlic, seasonings when available. I went online and have a few book with useful, safe, time tested recipes. I got my garlic recipe with my fermenting/pickling lids from Amazon. Easy peasy. I’ve used all kind of containers. This is the easiest.
Just don’t pop unfermented or non-pickled food into fermented/pickled food unless ready to eat now. Food goes through a wide variety of chemical processes to create friendly bacteria which keeps the bad bacteria away. Introducing other food to that environment ruins the whole process. Have fun. So good for you.
Esp if you DO NOT USE vinegar (this is my only time cos garlic needs it) or sugar or table salt. Sea Salt all the way.
Thanks for all of this, Jenny!
Garlic works too, throw a few cloves of garlic in for a different taste
Great to know, thanks!
Which recipe ended up tasting better?
The Jerusalem recipe was more authentic and the one I ended up puréeing (after taking a Moroccan cooking class) but both were good. I’ve since made the Jerusalem recipe several more times.
You’ve convinced me…I’m going for it!
Hi, thanks for your post, original recipe doesnt go into too much of a detail. I still have a big problem, my lemond got buoyant coudnt get them beliw the juice despote adding quite a lot. Top of the lemons got mouldy, so I just got rid of it. Hipe the rest lemons will be ok.
As to using. I dont fancy blending them, how to use preserved lemons? Do you use liquid? Get a lemon out and slice?
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear this! Which recipe did you use? The Jerusalem one or the brine one? Are you on Pinterest? I have this board with a few ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/alexandracooks/preserved-lemons-how-to-use-them/ and this is one of my favorite chicken recipes: https://alexandracooks.com/2014/11/18/genius-chicken-lemon-canal-house/
To prevent ‘floaters’ pack the lemons very tightly (wedge in the wedges). It takes some effort but you should really jam them in.
For practicality I use a 1 gallon mason jar and was taught to add more lemons to the jar. The technique is about the same as the Jerusalem recipe except you shake the jar 1x/day and after the lemons shrink, more lemons are added. Store and shake ~2 weeks then top with lemon juice and olive oil. They’re ready to use after 1 month.
If kept long enough (if they last!) the pectin in the lemons will cause the liquid to gel. This can be used sparingly in dressing or added to marinade. The site below has a picture of what the lemons look like if left long enough.
http://marocmama.com/moroccan-preserved-lemons-for-sundaysupper
Enjoy!
THanks for the help here, Barbara!
Barbara, do you add to the brine the lemons from which you have extracted juice? And, how much of their juice do you extract?
Sorry, is the lemon juice added from the 6 lemons ‘on top’ of the original 6 lemons? i.e. I need 12 lemons to start?
Thank you in advance!
Yes! You don’t juice the first 6 lemons you place in the jar, so you need an additional 6 lemons for the juice (which gets added a week after the lemons are stuffed into the jar). Let me know if there is anything else!
Thanks so much ?
Can I make this with less salt and keep in fridge?
I can’t say for sure, but I imagine yes.
I find the salt taste over powers the subtle lemon taste,
Any way to to preserve with less salt?
Alexandra, what do you end up thinking about the Bon Appetit recipe, once it was ready?
Both recipes were really good. I found myself using the Jerusalem one more because it was more traditional and more similar to the one I learned about at the Moroccan cooking class that I took, but I ended up using all of each batch, and I’ve since been making the Jerusalem one exclusively.
Did the Jerusalem batch end up super salty? Wondering if I should rinse at least a little bit before pureeing.
They are salty, but I think that’s how they’re supposed to be. I would advise not rinsing before puréeing. You need very little preserved lemon purée to make an impression. Another thought is that you could purée half the batch and see how you like it. If you find it too salty, you could rinse the remaining lemons before puréeing them.
Oops. I misread the recipe I looked at and I quartered all my lemons. I am guessing I can still use them anyway??
It may be because I made myself a nice lemon juice with vodka and tonic while juicing and cutting up all my lemons.
Ha! I love it, can we hang out? I just made myself a whiskey sour, which included a whole juiced lemon. I like your style.
I think you’re actually supposed to quarter them! I did it wrong by cutting them just in half. You’re good to go. Yes totally use them.
Hi! Do you purée the chile and rosemary with the lemons salt and juice in the Jerusalem recipe?
I take them out! If a little bit of chili flakes/rosemary needles remain, it’s fine.
Hi Alexandra, the rosemary infused recipe sounds delicious! How much olive oil would you add to a 1/2 gallon jar?
Hi Judith! So sorry for the delay here. I just add a thin layer — it probably isn’t more than a tablespoon. You just want to create a “protective” layer. Hope that helps!
I made the Jerusalem preserved lemons a couple of months ago – made two jars. Pureed one. It’s gone! Now I’m going to puree the second one and put a new one to marinate… love the puree and add it to just about everything.
I made this n ground it all, i now have 4 qts n would like to know if i can water bath can this for longer storage. Will do it in 1/2 pints. How long do u think i should process or will it even work
So sorry for the delay here!! I have no idea how long to process, but I would just follow the timing of what you typically do for preserves — I’m assuming you’re a canner, yes? But, yes, it will definitely work!
Now that I have the lemon puree (brine) where can I find recipes for using it?
Hi Nancy,
I have a few here. Click this link: Preserved Lemons. The Canal House chicken with preserved lemon is one of my favorites. I love the tagine with chicken, preserved lemons, and green olives, too.
These recipes look great! Since I’m vegetarian, I think I’ll try the chicken recipe with chickpeas Thanks for sharing.
This coudn’t have come at a better time! My neighbor just gave me a huge bag of lemons from their tree and I was trying to figure out what to do with all of them. Love it!
Yay! Happy to hear this, Bee.
Surely the puree, if using the pith and juice too, will be far too salty???
It’s definitely salty! But, you only use a little spoonful of it. A little goes a long way!