How to Use Preserved Lemons: 7 Easy Ways to Bring Moroccan Flavour to Your Cooking
A little preserved lemon can wake up a whole dish. If you’ve ever looked at a jar and wondered where to start, come into my kitchen.
It’s one of those ingredients that sounds more mysterious than it really is. You don’t need a special occasion or a complicated recipe. Sometimes all you need is a little finely chopped preserved lemon to make an everyday meal feel like something you’re genuinely excited to eat.
WHAT DOES PRESERVED LEMON TASTE LIKE?
Think lemon, but with a different personality. Preserving softens the rind and brings a salty, deeply lemony flavour. It’s not quite the same as squeezing fresh lemon juice over your food.
Fresh lemon brings a bright splash of acidity. Preserved lemon brings little pockets of citrus flavour that become part of the dish.
My advice? Start with a little. Taste, then add more. You can always add another spoonful, but taking it out again is a different story.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE IT?
For most everyday dishes, finely chop the preserved lemon so the flavour spreads evenly rather than landing in one big bite. Remove any seeds as you go.
The rind is the part to get to know first. If you’re using the flesh or liquid too, follow your recipe and taste before adding extra salt.
And don’t feel you have to use it in something traditionally Moroccan. There’s plenty of room for a little lemony magic in whatever you’re cooking tonight.
- TOSS IT THROUGH A ROAST VEGETABLE SALAD
Roast vegetables, fluffy quinoa, fresh herbs and a little feta are already a lovely combination. Add finely chopped preserved lemon and suddenly everything feels a little brighter.
I like it as a finishing touch, gently tossed through just before serving.
Try my Roast Vegetable Quinoa Salad With Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing:
- PAIR IT WITH FISH
Fish and lemon are old friends. Preserved lemon gives that friendship a little more depth.
In my Moroccan salmon recipe, it cooks alongside garlic, coriander, chilli and paprika oil. You get a dish full of flavour without needing a long list of complicated steps.
Try my Spiced Moroccan Salmon with Quinoa:
- GIVE CHICKEN A BRIGHT FINISHING TOUCH
Preserved lemon is lovely with chicken, especially when there’s a little sweetness in the dish.
My apricot chicken brings together chicken, chickpeas, Shakshuka Sauce and apricots. Chopped preserved lemon on top adds a salty citrus contrast to that sweet, rich sauce.
Try my Moroccan Apricot Chicken and Chickpeas with Almond Couscous:
- MAKE A SIMPLE LEMONY DRESSING
Finely chop a little preserved lemon and stir it into olive oil with a splash of fresh lemon juice and some chopped herbs.
Taste before adding salt. The preserved lemon is already bringing some to the party.
Spoon it over cooked vegetables, chickpeas or a grain salad. It’s the sort of small thing that makes yesterday’s leftovers feel like today’s good idea.
- ADD IT TO YOUR NEXT BARBECUE
Preserved lemon and paprika oil make a beautiful combination for prawns. One brings salty citrus flavour, the other brings warmth and spice.
Toss them through the prawns before cooking, then finish with fresh coriander and lemon wedges. Simple food, plenty of flavour.
Try my Paprika Oil and Preserved Lemon BBQ Prawns:
- SPOON IT OVER SHAKSHUKA
You’ve warmed your sauce, cooked your eggs and got the bread ready. Before you sit down, add a little chopped preserved lemon.
It’s a small finishing touch, but it brings a lovely contrast to the rich tomato sauce and creamy eggs.
Add fresh herbs and a drizzle of paprika oil if you like. Then get that bread involved.
- BAKE IT INTO A CAKE. YES, REALLY.
Preserved lemon isn’t only for savoury food.
My flourless preserved lemon cake uses it in the batter with almond flour, honey and lemon juice. It’s a different way to get to know the ingredient, and a very good excuse to put the kettle on.
Try my Flourless Preserved Lemon Cake:
ONE JAR, PLENTY OF POSSIBILITIES
You don’t have to try all seven ideas at once. Start with the food you already love cooking.
A little in tonight’s salad. Some over your eggs on the weekend. A spoonful alongside fish.
That’s how an unfamiliar ingredient becomes a kitchen favourite. Not by making cooking harder, but by giving you one more easy way to make it delicious.
Explore Zee’s Preserved Lemon:
Sharing the love, one jar at a time.
