Morrocan Preserved Lemons-Simple With Just 2 Ingredients
Morrocan Preserved Lemons are great in everything from soups to pilafs. It only needs two ingredients and time to make this umami packed flavor bomb. This recipe is so easy to make you won’t believe you didn’t do it sooner!
Equipment
- 1 Mason Jar Quart Size
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Salt Kosher, Himalayan, or Sea Salt. You won’t use all the salt. Just have more than you need available.
- 6-10 Lemons This will depend on the size of your lemons. You want enough to fill a quart size Mason Jar.
Instructions
- Put two tablespoons of kosher salt in the bottom of your clean Mason Jar.
- Then, cut one lemon to remove the stem end. The side that would have been connected to the tree.
- Once this is done you will need to cut the lemon lengthwise into fourths. You want to try not to cut the lemon all the way through. I have attached a picture for easy viewing. The lemon should end up having an X or + shape pattern lengthwise.
- Open the lemon where you made the cuts and put one teaspoon of kosher salt inside the lemons. Give the lemon a bit of a shimmy to move the salt around. It’s gonna make a mess and that’s fine. You want as much of the salt inside as possible.
- Turn the lemon cut side down and place in your mason jar or canning jar. Give the lemon a firm squeeze to release a lot of the juices. Try to release as much as you can without breaking the lemon apart.
- Repeat these steps with each of the lemons. Place each lemon in the jar making sure to pack them tightly. Fill almost to the top of the jar leaving about an inch of space.
- Once filled, add two tablespoons of kosher salt to the top of the mason jar and close the lid. If the lemon juice does not go all the way above the top of the lemons, use additional lemon juice until it covers them. Note: If you run out of lemon juice you can add water.
- Give the jar a shake and leave it on your counter to rest. Each day, for seven days, give it a shake. After seven days, stash it in the fridge and it’s good to use. They won’t be fully cured for 4-6 weeks in the refrigerator, but they are usable immediately. They just won’t be quite as funky until fully cured.
Notes
Once everything is in the jar, you will need to shake these once a day for 7 days. Then they are done. You will notice the jar goes from clear to cloudy. That’s totally normal. Stash in the fridge. These will last anywhere from 6 months to 1 year in the fridge in an airtight container. The salt will continue to degrade the lemons over time and they will eventually get very soft. At which point, I make a new batch. It’s important to realize that when you go to use these, you will need to first rinse the salt off. Nobody wants that much in a dish. Second, you will be removing the insides of the lemons. Third, you are only going to use the peel. So, chop the peel very fine and add it to your dish. Super easy!