Salt preserved lemons are an essential flavour in North African cuisine. Intense, fragrant and delicious, these salted, fermented lemons lift all sorts of dishes to new heights. They are very easy to make, so forget expensive store-bought versions and enjoy the satisfaction of creating your own.
Mediterranean magic
The cultivation of citrus fruit has a long history in North Africa. These delicious piquant lemons, preserved in salt and spices, are an important feature of many wonderful dishes from the Maghreb and beyond.
See also
- to preserve with confidence, read this article on how to sterilize jars for preserving
- Middle Eastern spice blends and flavours are rich in variety and fun to explore.
Not only does the salt preserve or pickle, but it causes a light fermentation process, which means that the lemons are full of the healthy bacteria that help keep your gut happy.
Originating in North Africa, where their history can be traced back to the court of Saladin in Cairo, these lovely lemons are most associated with the cuisine of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
From there, they have found their way into the kitchens of Iran, Greece, Lebanon and beyond. With all the brightness of fresh lemon but less of the acidity and a wonderful umami quality, I find them quite irresistible.
Moroccan and Tunisian dishes have become better known here in the UK over the past couple of decades as holiday makers have become more adventurous. Championed by Yotam Ottolenghi in his popular books and columns, these little lemons are now in demand.
Supermarkets, however, can be slow to catch up and shop-bought preserved lemons often come in tiny quantities at inflated prices. I decided years ago that I prefer to make my own. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should!
Preserved lemons
Traditionally, preserved lemons are made with tiny lemons, which are preserved whole. The end is cut off and they are cut as if to break them into quarters, to within an inch of the bottom of the fruit.
The lemons are then stuffed with salt and packed into jars, sprinkled with more salt and covered with lemon juice.
The first time I tried this, I quickly realised that none of my jars had a wide enough mouth to take a whole regular sized lemon. In fact, I have found that even quartered lemons can be difficult to pack into most jars, leaving too much space for air bubbles.
To get around the problem, I quarter my lemons and throw them into a bowl, covering them with plenty of salt. I leave them for a few hours before giving them a good shake and adding more salt. The salt draws the juice out and makes the lemon quarter much easier to squeeze into the jar.
If you have large wide-mouthed pickle jar, you can of course keep your preserved lemons whole. This undoubtedly looks stylish, but the quartered version tastes just as good and allows you a much better choice of jar!
Why make preserved lemons
- an easy preserve
- intense and delicious
- an authentic touch in North African dishes
- makes a great gift
Salt preserved lemons – ingredients
- Lemons – unwaxed
- Salt – ordinary table salt, not fancy crunchy sea salt, which will be a waste of the extra cost
- Optional extras – You can add peppercorns, cumin pods, coriander seeds and cinnamon or cassia sticks to the jar if you choose.
How to make preserved lemons – step by step
Step 1 – First, gather your ingredients and suitable jars. Wash the jars and then sterilise them by heating in the oven. When you are ready, wash the lemons and top and tail them.
Step 2 – Cut the lemons into quarters. Spread them out in a dish and cover in salt. Then leave them for three or four hours.
Step 3 – After resting, the salt will have dissolved as shown in the photograph.
Step 4 – Press each quarter on the side of the dish to squeeze out some juice, or use a lemon juicer. Reserve the juice. Insert the lemons into a jar, stacking them up in layers and packing them in tightly.
To each layer, add a few teaspoons of salt and if wanted, some peppercorns and coriander seeds. Poke half a cinnamon stick into each jar if you like.
Top the jars with the reserved lemon juice, adding more fresh lemon juice if necessary to get the lemon pieces fully submerged.
Helen’s Pro Tip
If you need to add more juice to the jars, remove the zest from the fruit you are going to juice with a vegetable peeler before you squeeze it. Then put it in a jar with vodka and sugar to make Limoncello. No need to waste any of that lovely lemony lemoniness!
Step 5 – Gently shake the jars every day for 4 weeks.
The lemons will fizz as they ferment and you should open the jars a couple of times a week to release the pressure. Exploding jars are rare when you make preserves, but not impossible, so do remember to look after your lemons!
After a month, your preserved lemons will be ready to eat. The lemon skins will be translucent and be wonderfully soft and supple.
Step 6 – To use your preserved lemons, scrape out the flesh and discard it. Wash the peel to remove some of the salt, chop it and add it to your dish. Try using them in tagines and stews, in this Moroccan chicken with rice or in a dressing for halloumi.
Serving suggestion
These salt preserved lemons can be served as a condiment with North African, Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean dishes, or added to tagines and stews as they cook.
They are natural companions for fish and chicken, and delicious added to salads or cooked into fragrant rice dishes. Try them with Greek style chicken dishes or Spanish paellas.
Don’t feel that you have to limit yourself to any traditional cuisine. These lovely salted preserved lemons are a great ingredient that gives a lift to so many dishes. Experiment!
How else to use preserved lemons
- Blitz them up with olive oil and vinegar to make a salad dressing.
- Whizz with herbs to make pestos and chimichurris
- Chop finely, add some herbs and use on a slow cooked piece of lamb
- Add just a little to a creamy pasta sauce
Variations
- You can vary the spicing to taste. Add in a few cardamon pods, a short piece of cinnamon stick or a couple of cloves.
Storage
Store in a cool, dark cupboard. Your lemons will last for a good few years.
Once opened I usually keep them in the fridge.
If you find your cupboards overflowing and you have space in the freezer, Palestinian chef and food writer Sami Tamimi recommends blitzing the lemon peels to a paste and freezing in ice cube trays to add to dishes and salad dressings.
Hints and tips
- The crucial point with this lovely preserve is to remember to release any gas from the jars from time to time over the first couple of weeks. Otherwise pressure can build up as the lemons ferment and you might find that a weak or damaged jar might explode.
FAQs
Meyer lemons are not true lemon, but a Chinese hybrid, combining lemons with mandarins and pomelo.
Popular with American chefs, they are sweeter than lemons and very fragrant, with thinner skins than the ordinary lemon. You can use them in this recipe for salt preserved lemons if you like.
That is the fermentation process. Don’t forget to loosen the lid and release the pressure from the fermented lemons occasionally.
Yes they are, and no, you can’t. The acid in the lemons and the quantities of salt will prevent it.
Obviously you should use a clean jar and clean equipment for your preserved lemons, and store them sensibly. Once you are over the first phase where you need to loosen the lid to release gas, store in a cool cupboard or fridge. Once you have opened them to start eating them, keep them in the fridge.
Love Lemons?
- Lemon dressing – zingy to give a summery lift to any salad
- Lemon posset – the classic three ingredient dessert
- Homemade lemon curd – perfect to use up extra lemons and eggs, this one contains a shot of gin!
Preserved Lemons
Ingredients
- 5 lemons (unwaxed)
- 1 cup salt
Optional spices
- peppercorns
- coriander seeds
- cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Wash three of the lemons and top, tail and quarter them lengthwise.Spread them out in a dish and cover in half the salt. Then cover and leave them for three or four hours or overnight.5 lemons, 1 cup salt
- Wash the jars and then sterilise them by heating in the oven.
- After resting, the salt will have started to draw the juice out from the lemons and the skin would have started to have softened.
- Insert the lemon quarters into a sterilised jar, stacking them up in layers and packing them in tightly.To each layer, add some of the drawn out juice and salt.
- You can add some spices at this stage; a few peppercorns, coriander seeds, cardamon pods or a shirt length of cinnamon stick.peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks
- If the lemons are not covered with salt and liquid, juice the remaining lemons, add to the jar to they are covered. It is important they are submerged. Some people use a non metallic weight to hold them down – a clean smooth stone would work well here if needed. Pour the remains of the salt over and seal the jars
- Gently swirl the jars every day for 4 weeks. The lemons will fizz as they ferment and you should open the jars a couple of times a week to release the pressure.
- After one month, the lemons are ready to use, the skins will be soft enough to cut with the edge of a spoon. To use your preserved salted lemons, scrape out the flesh and discard it. Wash the peel, chop it and add it to your dish.
Tony
Hi – just thought i would like to say – ” Love your website”. Easy to read, lots of space – and of course great recipes. I ended up here looking for easy way of making marmalade but then discovered the rest of your website. My wife and i have been working on a Self Sustainable project in a suburban backyard and are finally coming to the end of it. We have installed heaps of vegetable beds, solar power and water tanks. The last part is preserving and great reciepes for our own food which is where your website is great
Thanks again
Tony (Australia)
Helen
Thanks Tony – good luck with your self sustaining
Dawn
Do these need to live in the fridge, either before or after the four weeks is up?
Any idea how long they keep once opened? I”m guessing a while with all that salt…
We harvested quite a few lemons off a fairly young tree last year, too many to easily use fresh. It would be good to preserve some for later in the year when I miss that burst of yellow flavour!
Helen
it has been a while since I made them. I keep in the fridge once they have been opened,