Preserved Lemons
The Moroccan pantry classic: whole lemons packed in salt and their own juice until the rinds turn silky and intensely savory — the workhorse seasoning for tagines, grain bowls, and roast chicken.
Ingredients
one batchFrom the garden
- 8 lemons, scrubbed well — thin-skinned Meyer types are the classic choice, but any unsprayed lemon works
- 3 lemons for juices — juiced as needed to keep the jar topped up
From the pantry
- ½ cup kosher or coarse sea salt — plain salt without anti-caking additives
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 tsp black peppercorns (optional)
Steps
tap a step to dim it as you go- Sterilize a quart jar and its lid in boiling water. Scrub the lemons well under warm water — the rind is the part you'll eat.
- Trim the nub off each lemon's blossom end, then quarter lengthwise from the top, stopping 1/2 inch short of the stem end so the lemon stays hinged together. Pack about a tablespoon of salt into the cuts of each one.
- Press the salted lemons into the jar one at a time, crushing them down hard with a wooden spoon so they release juice as they go. Scatter in the remaining salt and the bay leaves and peppercorns as you layer, if using.
- Squeeze the extra lemons and pour in enough juice to submerge everything completely, leaving a little space at the top. Seal the jar.
- Leave at cool room temperature for 1 week, turning the jar over daily to redistribute the salt. Then refrigerate and wait — they're ready in about 4 weeks, when the rinds are soft, translucent, and smell like nothing else. To use, rinse a piece, scrape away the flesh, and mince the rind.