When Mourad Lahlou, chef and owner of the restaurants Mourad and Aziza in San Francisco, lived in Morocco as a boy, he was sometimes tasked with fetching preserved lemons from a dark stairwell where large clay pots of citrus were kept. Terrified of that eerie place, he would put his hand into one of the pots, grab the lemons, and run down the stairs as fast as he could.
It may be scary, but now Mr. Lahloo, 55, writes poems about preserved lemons. “The taste, or rather the sensation of preserved lemons, is indescribable,” he said.
Preserved lemons are used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, South and East Asian cuisines, including as a main ingredient in Moroccan cuisine, providing a much more tangy flavor and depth than fresh lemon juice.
Aisha Nurdjaja, chef and partner at Shuket and Shuka in New York, calls preserved lemons a kind of pantry ingredient used to get out of jail. At her restaurants, she uses them mixed with fresh herbs as a condiment for kebabs or crudo, and at home, as a quick marinade for shrimp or chicken. She also uses lemons in cocktails.
You can buy jars of ready-made preserved lemons in the international aisle of most grocery stores. But, in terms of price and quality, home make Preserved lemons can’t be beat. All you need is lemons, salt and time. Lemons are cleaned, opened with one end intact, then generously salted and squeezed into a tight jar and kept for at least a few weeks, until soft and potent. Once they’re ready, Mr Lahloo suggests discarding the seeds, separating the pulp and rind and storing them separately in olive oil. The rind can be chopped up and used anywhere you want a bright, strong flavour – such as an earthy potato salad, Refreshing couscous salad Or Braised Chicken Thighs,
Its flesh is slightly soft and will melt nicely into a beef stew or add a pleasant salty-sour flavor to it. Masoor Dal SoupWhile the liquid can be used in subsequent batches of preserved lemons. Or use the brine in place of vinegar and salt, especially Shallot Vinaigrette.
Preserved lemons can be stored in the refrigerator for at least six months to a year or longer, as their flavor will intensify the longer they are stored. So taste them before using. And make sure they are fully submerged in their liquid, and check for any signs of mold. (A little discoloration is okay, but mold means it’s time to throw them out.)
There’s no need to wash the lemon before using it, whether it’s smashed with olive oil or straight from the brine. Just adjust the amount of salt in the dish accordingly. A little goes a long way, so start with a teaspoon at a time until you get a taste for it. And then use it up, taste and add more.