Preserved Lemons are a delicious pickled lemon rind that adds a wonderful citrusy flavor to many dishes. So easy to make at home!
I don’t know about y’all and how you are faring on any kind of New Year resolutions, but I am failing miserably on mine and this so-called “diet”. My healthy eating plan lasted all of 2 days and now I’m back to full-time eating sweets and potato chips.
Obviously I have no self control and I really enjoy food (and dranks) so I figure, as long as I’m doing my daily yoga, hopefully I won’t gain any more weight than what I did over this past gluttonous holiday season. Another reason why I’m not sticking to a diet is because every time we visit the new house, we drive 5 minutes down the street to this place, Tuscan Market, and buy all sorts of goodies like…HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS!! WHAT?!?!?!
These chips are da bomb and taste extra yummy as they are fried in olive oil flavored with garlic and fresh herbs, and they aren’t greasy at all! Da double bomb!! You guys know once we move into the new house next month, I’ll be at Tuscan Market every 3 days to get a new bag of freshly cooked chips so Mama ain’t got time to be on no tater chip depriving diet.
Speaking of healthy eating, this recipe for preserved lemons is kind of healthy in the way of being low fat and low in calories. Preserved lemons are so easy to make but they do take a little effort in planning ahead.
All you need is a clean glass container, a few juicy lemons, some salt, and at least 4 weeks to allow the lemons to preserve in the salt and lemon juice. Then you will have the best pickled lemon rind to use as a flavor enhancing ingredient in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine or even add it to salads or veggies for a nice citrus flavor.
I use them in a lot of Moroccan style dishes, but also love using them to make a gremolata (a mixture of chopped fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest) where I just sub out the zest for the preserved lemon rind. The gremolata is perfect stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days and then it can be used to top roast chicken, beef, pork, or seafood (excellent on salmon!). Plus it’s killer mixed in with some roasted potatoes.
If you’ve never tried Preserved Lemons, hope you try this easy recipe and let yourself be creative when using them!
- 5 whole organic lemons
- ⅓ cup salt
- extra fresh lemon juice to cover lemons, if needed
- Wash lemons well. Cut the very ends of the lemons and quarter them, leaving the slices attached to each bottom. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt in-between each sliced lemon and set aside.
- Using a clean large glass jar with an air-tight lid, place 2 tablespoons of salt to cover bottom of jar. Take each lemon, one at a time, and put in jar, pressing down to release juice and covering the lemon with another 1 teaspoon of salt. Repeat process with remaining lemons.
- Finish by topping lemons with 2 tablespoons of salt and enough extra fresh lemon juice to fully submerge them in the liquid. Tightly cover the jar with the lid and shake the jar a few times. Leave at room temperature for 2 days, shaking the jar each day. On the third day, place jar in the refrigerator.
- Lemons should be fully pickled in 3-4 weeks and ready to use. Will keep up to 1 year in refrigerator, making sure lemons are always submerged in the lemon juice.
- To use: remove desired amount of lemon and remove the inside and all white pith, leaving only the rind. Use the rind as instructed in a recipe or eat as is (that's what I do sometimes as a snack!). Enjoy!
This is so much fun! I only recently started using preserved lemon in things and have never tried making my own but have been considering it for a while… and then your post pops up! Most excellent. Pinning for use very soon!!
Also, Tuscan Market sounds amazing. Homemade potato chips?? The very thought makes me want to try to make my own but that is SUCH a slippery slope… gahhh
Yes! Make your own Sophie!! Sooooo easy and you’ll love them much more than the store bought 🙂 Plus you can use organic, wax-free lemons or even Meyer lemons.
That Tuscan Market is going to be very bad for me…as in I’m going to gain lot of weight eating bags and bags of those chips 🙂
Lovely pictures! I am dying to see the preserved lemon (gremolata) recipe!! 🙂
Thank you Gaila! xoxo
Diets are for fools.. so I’m glad you pulled a little N’sync on that hoot-e-nany and said bye bye bye. (<– I am fully aware of my amazing dorkiness). Preserved lemons do make a wonderful addition to so many dishes, and I am LOVING your pictures! I have zero patience for waiting 4 weeks though, so do you think you can be a doll and send me some of your lemons? 😉 I'll repay you in potato chips and beer. Can't wait to see what you make with these preserved lemons… even though I'm pretty sure I already know what you are going to make. #MindReader. Happy Friday, #bestie! XO
Dude, you are so right and that’s probably why I like you so much! Okay, trying to forget that you just quoted N’sync. I actually had to go to their concert in South Florida with a girlfriend of mine because no one else would go with her. I finally gave in. Thanks for saying you loved my photos and that makes me pretty darn happy since you are super professional with yours 🙂 Yeah, I’ll put one of the lemons in an envelope and mail it to you. You can throw some tater chips in the same envelope and send it back to me. #thatsagoodplan #bffs 🙂 xoxoxo
I love that lemon preserves are good for a whole year! They sound so easy and fun to make. They would be perfect little gifts for the gourmet cooks in our lives. Pinning this for future use! Sorry your diet didn’t last very long. On the bright side, non-dieters are much happier anyway. Tuscan Market sounds like an awesome place, but I’m glad that there isn’t one within a stone’s throw away. It could prove to be too dangerous for my pocket and the waistline. Those chips sound incredible!!
Thanks Thao and I’m terrible on diets. I love to eat healthy but I also love to eat lots of food that is bad for me 🙂 You are so right on two things: 1) these lemons are perfect to make as gifts and 2) the Tuscan Market and those chips are both incredible!! 🙂
Very interesting idea and method, I’m very curious about the recipe you have in mind 🙂 Beautiful photos as always ❤
Thanks, as always, for your support Simona. xoxox I’m thinking about doing a real quick drink recipe out of them this weekend so may post that recipe next week 🙂
WOW! Beautiful and useful post 🙂 Amazing click
Thank you so much Kushi! They are awesome in so many different dishes 🙂
I love the pictures. They alone tell your story. I have never made these – but I must try – usually when I find the patience to wait for something involving lemons, it’s limoncello! I love the idea of using these in gremolata! One of my favorites! Nice job, lady! And I’m with you on the chips!
Thank you Annie! I make limoncello every year to hand out as gifts to our friends and that is waaaaaay more labor intensive than these. If you are used to making that, then you’ll love making these lemons 🙂
What a lovely recipe and super easy! I’m all about that 😉 I have lots of lemons home now, so this would be a great way to use some of them! I was thinking of homemade lemon curd, but this seems a little bit better for you, lol, so preserved lemons it is! Nice pics, by the way!
Thanks Dawn! When you make them, do a post on the lemons, then you can do more posts on all the stuff you will make out of the lemons 🙂
Oh my are these some gorgeous lemon photos! I can totally think of a thousand ways I would want to use these lemons! Cocktails are at the top of my list! 🙂 I need to visit that Tuscan Market too because those potato chips sound out of this world! I’ll take potato chips over a diet any day of the week!
Of course cocktails would be at the top of your list…probably the only thing on your list! heeheehee Y’all need a Tuscan Market where you live just for these chips. Crazy good.
I’m not doing too well on my better eating either to be honest Karrie so you’re definitely not the only one. Do you think maybe having a food blog and not eating lots of food is just impossible?! That’s what I’m telling myself anyway 😉 How exciting you guys are moving house! Hope all the prep in the lead up is going well. You know, I’d never heard of preserved lemons but now I’m gonna have to try this out! Moroccan and Middle Eastern foods are some of my favourites (being Iranian helps I guess!) so a good excuse to make more of it.
Hahaha! You have a baking blog so I can only imagine! It’s impossibly impossible to not eat lots of food when having a food blog, unless it’s a extremely healthy one 🙂 You should def make some preserved lemons!!
Oh yes please! I need these preserved lemons in my life ASAP – can you send me some of yours? OK, well, I’ll pin it then and get on this now so I can be using these in all kinds of things as soon as they are ready! Chicken, salmon, potatoes – I love all of the ideas. (I love gremolata, too, so I’m really excited for what you’re bringing us next month.) Have you ever used preserved lemons in a cocktail? I’m guessing that would be fantastic, too!
I can totally see you using these in all sorts of creative and healthy recipes! I’ve used them in Bloody Mary’s before but already thinking about other cocktails too and am trying one this weekend 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! I’m SO making this! I LOVE Moroccan food so I’m always running across recipes that call for preserved lemons. So far I’ve always bought them, but I’ve been meaning to make my own. Thank you so much for this recipe – I can’t wait to make this!
Yay Kathleen! This makes me so happy. Please let me know how they turn out for you 🙂
Karrie, olive oil, herbs, and garlic are healthy ingredients so I would consider these chips a healthy option. Enjoy, I allow. I’ve happened not to be a potato chips fan, but I gladly compensate them with ice cream, chocolate, and nuts. Indeed, I’ve been a good guy, and I am basically not eating sweets during a business week – only on weekends! And indeed, I’ve never made preserved lemons even though I’ve had some recipes calling for them to try.
Thank you Ben for agreeing that chips are healthy! You are so my kind of guy because you don’t favor them as I do so you won’t be ever be going after my potato chips! Yay! Hope you end up making the lemons 🙂
Karrie, I have never heard of this…… But it is absolutely BRILLIANT! I love salty foods over sweet. I often will cut up a lemon and eat it with salt. Weird, right? And all these years I have never thought of pickling the lemons to flavor my dishes. I am pulling out my pickling jars today and making this. Thanks dear! xoxo
Thank you Katie and you have to make these if you like eating salty lemons! I will eat preserved lemons right out of the jar, they are soooo good 🙂
I’ve never tried preserved lemons…I think I’d better put them on my list of to-dos! They are so pretty to look at!
Thank you so much Kathy. Pretty and tasty 🙂
Diets are impossible! When you like food as much as we do, they’re just too difficult. Plus, who wants to miss out on homemade potato chips!? Not me, so I certainly don’t blame you for stocking up on those once you move into the new place. Which btw, so exciting!! Hope you post some pics of the new place.
These preserved lemons look incredible, and I love how simple it is to put them together. The possibilities, like you mentioned, are endless with how you can use them. I love the idea of using them on seafood too!
Fantastic, Karrie <3
Thanks Beeta and I completely agree that diets are impossible. It’s so hard to not eat a lot of food when I like all kinds of food. It is so exciting moving and can’t wait to be in the new house. I’ll def post some pics of it too 🙂
I’m making these this weekend! After seeing your margarita post, which looks super delicious, I decided I need these. Can’t wait to see how they turn out.
Btw, I’d love to see pics of that Tuscan market. Sounds like a foodie paradise!
You’ll have to give me feedback and tell me how you like the recipes Connie! Tuscan Market is the best! Maybe I’ll go by this weekend, take some photos and randomly put them in my next post. You would love it, they have a huge fresh pasta area with all sorts of ravioli. I’m on a diet right now so trying to stay away but I was just telling my Hubby last night that I need to visit this weekend for some of their potato chips 🙂
Karrie! You always crack me up. I feel like I can relate so much to your love of food! Gurl… who can stick to a diet when they live so close to homemade potato chips? And made with olive oil and fresh herbs? Oh my gah… I got hungry just typing that. It’s obvious, the solution is to move far, far away. Lol. Meanwhile, thanks for sharing this super easy recipe for preserved lemons! Keeping us all on track, bless you dear. 😉 Hope you have an awesome weekend! Pinning. xo