These preserved lemons are rich in lactic-acid producing bacteria, and they’re delicious – imparting a light, clean flavor to foods and sauces. They make an excellent condiment. After the fermentation process is complete, both the flesh and rind of the lemon become edible. I use a vegetable fermenter to prepare and ferment these preserved lemons. The fermenter is a large glass jar with a convenient air lock and is ideal for fermenting vegetables and fruits naturally. You can find them online (see sources).
To make a 1-gallon quantity of Moroccan Preserved Lemons, you’ll need the following:
- 10 lbs Organic Meyer Lemons
- Celtic Sea Salt or Real Salt
Instructions:
- Rinse and scrub the lemons well so as to remove any potential residue adhering to the lemon rind.
- Slice the lemon as though you are going to quarter it, but leave all quarters connected on one end.
- Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the interior of the lemon, and place it in your jar.
- When you’ve made a layer of lemons, sprinkle a teaspoon or two of salt over the top of the layer.
- Use a wooden spoon and pound down the lemons until they release their juice.
- Continue cutting, salting, layering, salting and pounding down the lemons until your jar is full.
- Add another layer of salt and pound the lemons until the juice of the lemons covers the fruit.
- Cover your jar loosely to allow air to escape.
- Leave the jar on the counter for 1 to 2 weeks to allow for fermentation.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Oh, you are taunting me with these beautiful lemons! I am just dying to make some, but there are NO meyer lemons to be found in this town! The horror, the horror.
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Aren’t they lovely! I ended up ordering a case from our health foods store. You might still be able to get some from the shopping section of localharvest.org.
These look good, I have been reading your blog for a while, and it is really interesting. However I was wondering if this would work with Limes too?
Rosy! It’s always nice to hear from a reader. I’ve never tried it with limes, or heard of anyone else trying it with limes; nevertheless, there’s absolutely no reason why this technique wouldn’t work with limes. Frankly, I think preserved limes sound fantastic. If you try it out, let me know!
I love the idea of preserving limes! I just bought a bunch of meyer lemons & did this with them a few weeks back and bought limes at the same time to juice & freeze but that is a great idea! I love your blog.
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Jenny, how do you use these? Do you substitute them for fresh lemons called for in recipes? I’m just wondering what you do with so many!
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Would this work for lemon juice in recipes? And I echo the previous poster. I need to know what to do with a gallon of lemons … but lemon juice I know I can use!
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Mostly you use these as a condiment – served with roast chicken along with spiced olives. Or chopped up fine and used on top of fish and poultry. Remember, because they’ve been fermented they last FOREVER much like sauerkraut or cucumber pickles so there’s no urgency in using them. Regarding the lemon juice, it makes a really tasty addition to a good bloody mary. Keep in mind that the juice is salty, so it’s not suited to sweet dishes.
I was so excited to see this recipe. I remember my mom bringing home a jar from some Egyptian friends of hers when I was a kid. I would eat them on there own – loved them! A couple of questions: after they are done fermenting do you place in frig? If so do they not last as long once in frig? Do they have to be Meyer lemons? And if so why?
Hi Dawna –
I put them in the fridge to slow down the fermentation process once they’re done to my liking. You could, ostensibly, keep them in a cool dark place in your home with no adverse effects. In the fridge, they keep FOREVER or close to it. I have about 1.5 gallons in there right now that I did in December and they show no signs of spoilage or mold. They should probably last at least a year. Take care though because, as with sour beets, the juice will thicken with age and you always want the fruit to be below the brine so, periodically, you’ll want to mix sea salt and water together to add to the lemons. Also try this recipe: Preserved Lemon & Parsley Tapenade. It’s a GREAT way to use preserved lemon.
What if you were over generous with the salt. I am 3 days in and got plenty of juice with my lemons, but a whole lot of salt settled at the bottom the jar. Is it complete disaster…ie should I start over?
Mmmmm. These lemons look amazing and I can’t wait to make them! Thanks for the recipe!
If you cannot use up 10lbs of lemons just use a smaller jar.
I just opened my lemons after they had been fermenting about a week. Are they supposed to be fizzy?
They smell wonderful….will be trying them later today!
These sound wonderful!