(Djej Emshmel)
Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Paula Wolfert's book Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco. Wolfert also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.
Preserved lemons, sold loose in the souks, are one of the indispensable ingredients of Moroccan cooking, used in fragrant lamb and vegetable tagines, recipes for chicken with lemons and olives , and salads. Their unique pickled taste and special silken texture cannot be duplicated with fresh lemon or lime juice, despite what some food writers have said. In Morocco they are made with a mixture of fragrant-skinned doqq and tart boussera lemons, but I have had excellent luck with American lemons from Florida and California.
Moroccan Jews have a slightly different procedure for pickling, which involves the use of olive oil, but this recipe, which includes optional herbs (in the manner of Safi), will produce a true Moroccan preserved-lemon taste.
The important thing in preserving lemons is to be certain they are completely covered with salted lemon juice. With my recipe you can use the lemon juice over and over again. (As a matter of fact, I keep a jar of used pickling juice in the kitchen, and when I make Bloody Marys or salad dressings and have half a lemon left over, I toss it into the jar and let it marinate with the rest.) Use wooden utensils to remove the lemons as needed.
Sometimes you will see a sort of lacy, white substance clinging to preserved lemons in their jar; it is perfectly harmless, but should be rinsed off for aesthetic reasons just before the lemons are used. Preserved lemons are rinsed, in any case, to rid them of their salty taste. Cook with both pulps and rinds, if desired.
Recipe information
Total Time
30 days
Yield
Serves 6; makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
Optional Safi mixture:
EQUIPMENT:
Preparation
Step 1
1. If you wish to soften the peel, soak the lemons in lukewarm water for 3 days, changing the water daily.
Step 2
2. Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom, sprinkle salt on the exposed flesh, then reshape the fruit.
Step 3
3. Place 1 tablespoon 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.
Step 4
4. Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. Let ripen for 30 days. To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired — and there is no need to refrigerate after opening. 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.
Step 5
- According to the late Michael Field, the best way to extract the maximum amount of juice from a lemon is to boil it in water for 2 or 3 minutes and allow it to cool before squeezing.
Paula Wolfert shares her tips with Epicurious:
Step 6
•Located on Morocco's Atlantic coast, south of Casablanca and north of Essaouira, the city of Safi is known for its seafood specialties.
•To most closely approximate the flavor of Moroccan lemons, Wolfert recommends Meyer lemons for this recipe. This lemon/mandarin orange hybrid, in season in January and February, has yellow-orange flesh, a smooth rind, and a sweeter flavor than other lemons.
•To sterilize a mason jar for the lemons, place it upside down in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Using tongs (wrap the ends in rubber bands for a better grip), remove the hot jar and dry it upside down on a paper towel-lined baking sheet in a warm oven. To sterilize the jar's top, boil it in water for 5 minutes, then remove with tongs. For more information on home canning, click here.
•When you're ready to use a lemon, remove it with clean utensils to avoid contaminating the inside of the jar with bacteria. This way, the remaining contents of the jar will not need to be refrigerated.
Recipe from Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, by Paula Wolfert, Copyright © 1987, published by Ecco Books.
Leave a Review
Reviews (20)
Back to TopZip-Lok gallon bags work great for vacuum sealing and ensuring juice is covering every lemon. Just store in fridge rolled up or laying flat with air removed. I haven’t tried additional spices added believe if you want the longest shelf life to rely solely on salt, lemon juice and possibly a dash of sugar. Moroccan and curry dishes ask for their own 5-spice blend anyways, so no need to cure lemons in cinnamon/clove.
Chef Ben
Rapid City, SD
9/3/2021
As a quasi-food scientist, I’d say that sterilizing equipment, jars and lids is always a great idea but scrubbing the lemons without heat processing the packed bottle is never going to yield a sterile end product. No matter what, you are simply relying on the acidity in the lemon, the high concentration of salt and other extractants from the skin and pith that may also have preservative qualities (like tannin in wine) to preserve the end product. At best (and this is good, don’t get me wrong) sterilizing the lids, bottles and working tools will help knock down possible outside contaminants but unless you boil the fruit or treat it with disinfecting levels of sodium hypochlorite (probably not safe) or follow canning procedures, don’t expect a sterile end product and if you do actually heat treat the packed bottle, once open all bets are off, just opening it will intoduce contamination. I’ve sun preserved chilis in oil and lime and after the week or so I refrigerate. That’s the safest thing to do here if your nose won’t tell you if your batch is bad. Likely with all that acid and salt, only fruit not in the liquid will have the potential to spoil and that can likely be removed before eating the rest.
joelbates1366
Houston
1/26/2021
A COOK FROM BC, CANADA asked , "I just need some help. After you've squished the lemons in the mason jar, do you just put on the lid ... or does it have to "pop", like when you can tomatoes?
Rose Robbins
Dana Point California
12/27/2020
Wait! There's no referent for the asterisk in step #3. What should it refer to? One fork for editorial sloppiness.
christocc
Lancaster, PA.
12/26/2017
I've made preserved lemons a few times but never with an Epicurious recipe. There are several things I notice here that I'd avoid for perfect lemons: (1) Don't soak the lemons in water to soften the rind. It will soften naturally in the salt and soaking them before hand will only reduce the flavour; (2) Don't add other spices such as cinnamon. Any additional spice other than salt can encourage bacteria growth. (3) I've had my current batch in the refrigerator for over a year and a half. I use it whenever I make a curry, a Moroccan tagine, or when I want an additional flavour in a Bloody Mary. I also make limes like this & use in the same way. I hesitate to say not to worry about discolouration but I don't...and my batches all get a dark brown salty brine between the lemons over time. This hasn't killed anyone yet and I doubt it ever will. Salt is an absolutely perfect preservative and preserved lemons & limes exist for months, if not years, in places where there's no refrigeration. Just make sure you really pack those lemons in tightly...allow the least amount of space possible when you first pack them. And always check them during their initial curing stage to both add more fresh / sliced / salted lemons or just to add more salt to what's already in the jar. Get the smallest lemons you can find. Every recipe for preserved lemons will recommend Meyer but really, they're so difficult to find that you'll be just fine with the smallest lemons available.
Viv52
London, England
10/12/2017
of all the preserved lemon recipes out there, this is my favorite. i had tried preserving lemons a while back, but didn't sterilize the jar and mould grew. this time, i used a large dill pickle jar (because i had 12-14 lemons), following the sterilization instructions. i also added whole cloves and red pepper flakes to the spice mixture, and the result was wonderful. i've been using the lemons for 2 months now, and haven't added additional lemon juice or salt as i've removed the preserved lemons from the brine. the brine is unctuous, but easy to rinse off. if you're making a chicken, slide the four sections of the preserved lemon skin under the breasts and thighs along with some fresh thyme leaves. bake at 475 for 50-60 minutes for a 4.5 lb. bird. the results are amazing. for an added treat, roast the bird over a single layer of quartered small potatoes that have been mixed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some of the preserved lemon flesh.
a_pinch_of_salt
san francisco
3/21/2017
I was bought a home with a Meyer lemon tree last year and want to use the harvest. I have never preserved lemons, nor used preserved lemons in a recipe. I bought quart jars and had trouble fitting five lemons into a quart jar. One jar has four, one jar I added an additional half lemon to fill to the required amount. My lemons are the size of small grapefruits, so I am not confident in my use of this recipe. It would be impossible to fit even three in a pint jar, if I juiced them prior. Here's hoping for the best!
cjlegarefineart
Dothan, Alabama
1/10/2017
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