My Moroccan Spiced Preserved Lemons

When I see a fantastic deal on quality, fresh, top level organic produce, I can't resist the urge to purchase. This past weekend was no exception. I was able to pick up a load of fresh, organic lemons at Whole Foods grocery shopping on Saturday. I love the taste of preserved lemons, however they are spendy to purchase pre-made. With such a deal on bags of organic lemons, I decided to make my own batch of preserved lemons to use when I cook healthy middle eastern and Moroccan food.



Prepping the lemons after they have been washed. Getting the pickling salt, quart sized canning jar and other aspects ready. I decided to really hone in on some middle eastern inspired pantry spices.



Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, whole peppercorns, whole allspice, cloves and whole fennel was what I ultimately decided upon. These flavor combinations are typical in tagines, lamb stews and other side dishes.



Another angle.



Each lemon was trimmed on the ends, and sliced into six wedges before they were generously sprinkled with canning salt to start the preservation process.



Salted lemon wedges, sitting at room temp before they are packed into the canning jar.



Packed in the jar, with lots of fresh lemon juice. It now sits in my kitchen in a sunny window for 30 days, then can be used as needed.



I ensured I the spices were visible to add to the aesthetic beauty of home canned / processed food. This will make several tasty additions over the next six months to my stews, tagines or other middle eastern side dishes.

Dan's Preserved Moroccan Lemons

5 to 6 lemons
1/4 cup salt, more if desired

SPICE MIXTURE:

1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
6 coriander seeds
6 fennel seeds
6 cumin seeds
4 black peppercorns
1 Large Turkish bay leaf
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, if necessary

EQUIPMENT:

Shallow bowl
Quart canning jar

Slice each lemon into six to eight wedges depending on the size of the lemon. Place in shallow bowl. Sprinkle salt liberally on the exposed flesh. Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon salt on the bottom of the clean & sterilized quart mason jar. Pack in the salted lemon wedges and push them down, extracting the juices and layering with the spices.

Continue to 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. Do not use chemically produced lemon juice or water, only use fresh squeezed lemon juice. Leave some air space before sealing the jar.

Let the lemons ripen in a warm place, such as your kitchen window for at least 30 days. Shaking the jar each day to distribute the salt and juice. To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, removing and discarding the pulp, if desired. 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.