Using Preserved Lemons

Ummm..opening a jar of preserved lemons….

I’ve been loving having these on hand! And, as soon as I can, I’m preserving some limes.  The fruit and the juice is so versatile and -added bonus-, as long as you don’t heat it, they are an easy way to incorporate  fermented goodness into your diet.

I’ve experimented a little since making the preserved lemons in this post. Most frequently I use some of the juice instead of fresh or bottled lemon juice- adjusting for salt. Some examples are salad dressing, dips, aioli, guacamole, really anytime the recipe calls for a little lemon juice. When preparing a dish where everything is getting blended smooth anyways- like hummus or baba ghanoush a small piece of lemon (peel and all) can be blended right in.

The peel is really just bursting with flavor. I used it several times in place of zest including twice while making muffins-once in the muffins; it worked out great. And I also tried it out in the sugar and zest topping. To replace the zest I minced up the peel very fine then mixed it in the sugar. This was baked on to form a crunchy lemony sweet top. It worked, however there was a slight hint saltiness occasionally. I’d say preserved lemons work great for baking but stick to using them where the recipe also calls for salt.

Use the peel, the juice or a paste (blend some preserved lemons smooth-watch out for seeds) to flavor veggies (potatoes, summer squash, spinach..), sauces, seafood (i.e. scallops sauteed with bits of lemon or baked with lemon juice, garlic etc ) or chicken- like in this marinade:

It’s a simple marinade: chopped preserved lemons in olive oil with a bit of garlic, a sprig of rosemary (chopped), a bit of black pepper.

Let sit for at least several hours, turning occasionally.

Then bake or grill till done.

5 minutes out of the oven and this is the only one left for a photo.

So there are some ways to use preserved lemons. I’m planning on using the limes similarly and especially with Mexican and Thai flavored meals.

mossy_stone

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