preserved lemons spiced 2 ways

by now most of you that have spent anytime around here at all know



i have a thing for indian lemon pickle - those fine specimens of
fermented perfection that do me right everywhere from curries, to flatbreads to yogurt and rice...

you may even know that i got married in rajasthan and traveled around for a month, where i kid you not -
that whole month i never longed for a morsel of any other persuasion than those sultry masalas.

but here's the thing-

way before i lost, for a moment, my breath at the first sight of the taj mahal.

or tried to coax it back in & out, respectively, in the middle of the night while traveling down a 4 lane highway at 70mph realizing i was looking straight into the eyes of a caravan of cargo carrying camels...

i was seduced by this:


preserved lemons of the maghreb

and this too:


persian spiced preserved lemons

lest you think my palate promiscuous, let me explain:

(i sort of half prepared a discourse about growing up in an italian-american-slovakian home and while those flavors and textures will always be part of who i am, my world literally opened up when i began to experience the world. not only by the good fortune and wherewithall of actually getting to these places, but by experiencing them on the palate. and how, even when one cannot actually trot around to all those exotic places, the palate can. and by studying world food cultures, one can learn a whole lotta 'bout the cultures of the world.)

but basically all i'm sayin' is



variety is the spice of life baby.


(ok, my palate is a tramp)

preserved lemons of the maghreb

1 pound meyer lemons (organic)
pinch saffron (kashmiri if you can, or spanish)
1 teaspoon aleppo pepper (or turkish, or cayenne powder, or paprika)
2 small bay leaves, or one large
3/4 tablespoon sugar (i use raw)
4 1/2 tablespoons salt (i use sea)
1 very clean & very dry 3/4 or 1 quart glass jar


1. wipe the lemons clean with a damp and then a dry cloth.

2. cut lemons in quarters lengthwise and remove seeds, try not to lose the juice

3. mix together the salt, sugar, and aleppo pepper. crumble the pinch of saffron between your fingers and into the bowl.

4. toss the lemons with the spices, salt and sugar and stir to coat the lemons.

5. press the coated lemon quarters into the jar. add the bay leaves somewhere in the middle. press hard enough so that the juice runs out and covers the fruit. with meyers this should be a sufficient amount of liquid - it should cover the fruit 3/4 of the way up.

6. leave in a sunny windowsill for 7 -10 days. give the jar a shake once or twice a day. if your jar allows you can turn it upside down in the am, and rightside up at night.

after the 7-10 day period the sun isn't as important but continue to leave it out of the fridge for another 2-3 weeks or until the peels have lost their bitter twang and are soft enough to chew comfortably but still hold their shape.

persian spiced preserved lemons

1 pound lemons (organic)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
8 whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
3/4 tablespoon sugar (i use raw)
4 1/2 tablespoons salt (i use sea)
juice of two lemons
1 very clean & very dry 3/4 or 1 quart glass jar

1. follow steps 1 and 2 above.

2. open the cardamom pods by hitting them briskly with a pestle, hammer or other blunt object. take the black seeds out and discard the shells. grind the peppercorns, cloves and cardamom seeds in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

3. combine the salt, sugar and spices and toss together with the lemon quarters until coated.

4. press the coated lemon slices into the jar. with regular lemons you will not, most likely, have enough juice to cover the lemons 3/4 of the way. if this is the case squeeze the juice of one or two more lemons to cover as such.

5. follow step 6 as above. regular lemons will not soften as fast as meyers and can take an additional 4-5 weeks after the initial 7-10 day sunny period.




to eat preserved lemons - take them out one by one and rinse under cold water, the flesh will scrape off easily with a thumbnail - discard this part. chop the peel and serve.

if you are not accustomed to eating preserved lemons i'll forgive you that you don't know their uses are endless. yes they are traditionally used in meat tangines in the maghreb, and are a perfect accompaniment to persian rice pilafs. but my friends, that is only the beginning of the story.

anywhere you want a salty-citrus hit, with just a bit of heat & spice for depth, you want these. chop them up for salads and their dressings, simple bean and grain dishes, pan-fried or roasted vegetables, and served on top of stir-fried shrimp or grilled fish, etc.

go ahead, you know your palate wants it...

:)