Pucker up...and wait

After a visit to a Moroccan restaurant to celebrate the graduation (cum laude) of my friend Shannon from the Florida A&M Law School, I was inspired to make a few North African dishes.
Before I could even get started, I noticed that a lot of recipes called for "preserved lemons". What in the heck are those? Everything I ate had a lemony taste to it, so I suppose there were preserved lemons in them...So I figured I had to start there. It's a lengthy process to get there, but if I can make dishes half as good as those I had yesterday, it will be worth the wait.
Preserved lemons are easy to make - with just a few ingredients - but they won't be ready for three weeks. That makes Patience the most important ingredient, but it is one of the hardest to come by...at least in my kitchen.
Once those lemons are ready, I'm going to try them with couscous and butternut squash and mozzarella and basil (another take on my favorite, caprese).

Preserved Lemons

  • 5 lemons
  • 1/4 cup salt, more if desired
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, if necessary
If you want a more spicy version, add these ingredients
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 cloves
  • 5 to 6 coriander seeds
  • 3 to 4 black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf



  • Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, then reshape the fruit.
  • Put a tablespoon of salt on the bottom of the mason jar.
  • Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt, and the optional spices between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. (If the juice released from the squashed fruit does not cover them, add freshly squeezed lemon juice — not chemically produced lemon juice and not water.*) Leave some air space before sealing the jar.
  • Let the lemons set in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice.
  • Let the preserved lemons "ripen" for 30 days.
  • To use the lemons in a recipe, rinse them, as needed, under running water. Remove and toss the pulp, if desired.Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over the course of a year.
Vegan.




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