Preserved lemons are lemons quartered, packed with salt and covered in their own juice until the rind turns soft, translucent and edible. The sharp, bitter edge of fresh peel gives way to a mellow, salty, intensely lemony flavour. They’re a classic of Moroccan cooking – chicken tagine with olives is the best-known use – and they’re just as good chopped into salads, dressings, grain dishes, roast vegetables and fish. For the olives themselves, see how to brine-cure olives at home.
How They Work
This is a salt cure in a very acidic liquid. Salt draws the juice out of the fruit and softens the rind, and lemon juice is already extremely sour: it contains about 1.44 g of citric acid per fluid ounce, roughly 48 g per litre (Penniston et al., 2008). Extension guides call the process fermentation and describe lactic acid lowering the pH while salt holds back spoilage microbes (Clemson Extension), but unlike sauerkraut, preserved lemons don’t depend on bacteria to become acidic, and their microbiology has hardly been studied. What matters in practice is enough salt, everything under the juice, and cold storage once they’re cured.
The Method
Clemson University’s Home & Garden Information Center gives a home recipe adapted from the Ball home-preserving book (Clemson Extension): for a 1-quart (1-litre) jar, about ½ cup of pickling or canning salt, five lemons quartered lengthwise (leave them joined at the base) and packed with salt, and the juice of about five more lemons to cover them to within an inch of the top. The jar is sealed and kept in a cool, dark place for about two weeks, shaken daily to spread the salt, and burped if pressure builds. Then it goes into the fridge, where the lemons keep for up to six months. Add only dried spices – bay leaves, cinnamon, peppercorns, coriander seeds or dried chillies – because fresh herbs and other fresh additions can change the pH.
Choosing and Using Them
Because you eat the rind, scrub the lemons well, and choose unwaxed ones where you can. Thin-skinned lemons such as Meyer lemons give a softer, less bitter rind. To use, take out a piece with a clean fork, rinse off the salt, scrape away the soft pulp if the recipe calls for rind only, and chop. A little goes a long way: they’re very salty, so cut back on other salt in the dish. The salty juice is good in dressings and marinades.
Mould and Spoilage
Keep the lemons pressed under the juice and use clean utensils. If a lemon floats, push it back down or add more juice. Fuzzy mould on fruit can reach below the surface, so if you see it, discard the jar rather than picking out the affected pieces (USDA FSIS); also discard lemons that smell rotten or turn slimy. Browning of the rind over time is normal.
More Salted and Pickled Citrus
India’s lime and lemon pickles are cousins made with salt, spice and oil – see our achaar guide. For lemon in a drink, try Finland’s lightly fermented sima, and for storage rules across all ferments, see how to store fermented foods.
