Healthy: Morrocan Preserved Lemons

Lemon preserves are a common ingredient in Moroccan and other nearby Mediterranean/African cuisines. They can be difficult to source and they are certainly expensive to source which can make then unappealing. However, it is virtually impossible to get the flavor right in a chicken tagine or other dish calling for lemon preserves without the proper ingredient. The good news is that it is incredibly easy to make preserved lemons at home.

Preserved lemons are part of a much larger range of fermented, pickled, or salt-preserved ingredients commonly used in old world cuisines ranging from Morocco all the way to India and into far east Asian countries. This type of food preparation harkens back to a pre-refrigeration time when food had to be preserved or used immediately. Now with reliable refrigeration and international transportation it is much easier to obtain fresh ingredients from all over the globe at almost any time of the year. Although fresh foods are great, there are centuries (if not thousands of years) of cuisine built around the unique flavors brought about by preserved foods. They may have lost favor in Europe and America at a time but they are definitely making a come back, at least in America, with our growing embrace of international cuisine.

Preserved lemons are typically associated with chicken tagine and various other tagines but they also work well in salads, pasta dishes and rice dishes where a little tangy citrus can brighten up the dish. Preserved lemons are actually lemon rinds preserved in salt, in which the rind softens and the flavorful oils in the rind produce the flavors of lemon without all of the acidity that comes along with the fruit part of lemons. Typically the lemon preserves are rinsed to remove the excess salt and the fruit is chopped off. The remaining lemon rind may be chopped, cut into strips, or left whole.

Meyer lemons are commonly used for preserved lemons but if Meyer lemons are difficult to source then you can get away with using whatever varieties are available at the grocery store. Meyer lemons are less acidic than other varieties which makes them a good option (at least in the US) for preserving lemons. Common grocery store varieties are more acidic and taste different but if they are all you can find them you will get much closer to an authentic taste preserving these lemons over using non-preserved lemons.

This recipe is very simple and you can scale the recipe up or down for the volume of lemons you want to preserve. You may just want to make one jar if you do not foresee yourself using a lot of these lemons. They will stay good for several months, especially if you keep them in the fridge. Mason jars are typically used for preserving lemons but if you don't have mason jars then any decent food jar will work as long as the glass is decently thick and the opening is large enough to fit in the lemons.

Use a non-iodinized salt in this recipe. Do not use your regular kitchen iodize salt. It tastes different and you will get a weird iodine taste. Kosher/canning salt or sea salt works well.

Moroccan Preserved Lemon Recipe

Serving size: Varies.
Prep time: Depends on the volume of lemons.
Cook time: None.

Equipment:

• Knife and cutting board
• Measuring spoons
• Several mason jars or other suitable jars

 Ingredients:

• Meyer lemons (or other lemons)
• Non-iodine salt (such as Kosher salt)
• Extra lemon juice

Directions:

1. Slice lemons into quarters if the lemons are small or sixths if the lemons are large. Remove the seeds as you can but it is not necessary that you remove all the seeds. You will discard the seeds and the fruit when you use the lemons.
2. Place one lemon in the jar and add one tablespoon of salt to the lemon. If the lemon is particularly large then add an extra 1/2-1 tablespoon of salt. 
3. Repeat step two with the next lemon. Once the lemons in the jar are at a level that you can touch them, start pushing down on the lemons to compact them. You want to squeeze out the juice and compact the lemons as much as possible. Keep squeezing down the lemons to fit as many in one jar as you can. 
4. Once the jar is as full as you can get it with lemons, top up the jar with extra lemon juice so all of the lemon slices are under liquid. If you overfilled the jar then keep trying to compact the lemons or remove a slice or two until they are all under the liquid. 
5. Seal the jar and place in a cool place for 2-3 weeks before use. Repeat this process with all of your lemons until you have used them all. Try to avoid half-full jars if you can. 

When the preserved lemons are ready, remove what you need from the jar with a clean utensil. Do not use your hands. Rinse the lemon under cool water and then cut out the fruit and discard along with any seeds. Use the lemons as appropriate.

The remaining liquid in the jar after you have used all the lemons will be extremely salty but lemony. Most people discard the liquid but you can use it to brine fish or chicken for a lemony taste. You probably want to dilute the liquid to balance out the salt content.