Preserved lemons make for a wonderfully convenient condiment and seasoning for meats, seafood and vegetables. They’re ridiculously easy to make and keep for months which is why they’re a staple in my kitchen.
As far as citrus is concerned, Meyer Lemons are at the top of my list of favorites. Unfortunately due to a short shelf-life and thin, easily damaged skin, it’s rare to find them outside areas where they are grown; and yet there they were, nestled between the apples and oranges, a bin full of plump golden Meyer Lemons.
Labelled “local lemons” and without the outrageous price tag I’ve often seen supermarkets try and charge, it took every ounce of self-restraint to keep myself from filling my cart with the sweet, fragrant citrus. Still, I stocked up feeling like this was some kind of fluke. Maybe the stocker mislabeled them, or perhaps the buyer bought a cheap batch not knowing what they were.
As suspected, they were no longer there upon my next visit, so after I had my fair share Meyer Lemon on on pasta, spread on toast and in desserts, I decided to preserve my remaining lemons so I could make their fragrant floral aroma linger in my pantry for just a little bit longer.
Traditionally the lemons have an “X” cut into them two thirds of the way down, and are stuffed with salt, before being allowed to pickle in their own juices. This fermentation process takes about a month for the the lemons to become tender, and even longer for the flavor to fully mature. To speed things up, I like to slice the lemons into 1/4″ thick slices, which not only helps extract the juices, it speeds up the pickling process.
Once preserved, the lemons are tender with a perfect balance between tart and salty. You lose some of the brighter lemon flavors, but these are supplanted by deep earthy notes that add a wonderful flavor to everything from stews to salads.
Units
Ingredients
- 4 Meyer Lemons
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 chili peppers
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves whole
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions
- Thoroughly scrub the lemons with warm water to remove any residue. Slice the ends off the lemon, then slice them crosswise into 1/4" thick circles.
- Put the lemons in a glass bowl and add the salt, chili peppers, cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns. Toss to combine, then use the palm of your hand to press down on the lemons, to extract some juice.
- Pack the lemons into a glass jar and cover with the juice. If you're not using Meyer lemons, you may need to add extra lemon juice to cover the lemons.
- Cover the top of the jar with plastic wrap, then use a rubber band to hold the wrap in place. Do not use a sealed lid as the lemons will release gases as they ferment
- Leave the lemons in a cool dark place to ferment. You can use them after a week, but it's best to let them ferment for a couple weeks. Once they're at a place you're happy with, you can slow the fermentation by putting them in the fridge.
Tiffionna TheHuman Traweek says
My roommate the other day had these lemons that I had NEVER seen before. These were the biggest, most golden lemons I had ever seen, and they weren’t even that sour. The package was labelled Meyer Lemons and I had never seen them before. We have two giant bins of them at the local walmart for $3 a bag. Knowing now what they are, I think I’m going to go load up! Thanks for the info!
Michelle Stutzman Jones says
I love this website! I have a Meyer lemon tree and so many lemons I’m afraid they’ll rot before I can use them. I saw the recipe for Lamb Tagine with Preserved Lemons – Shazam! I made a batch of lemons per the recipe – I’ll let you know in a few weeks how they turned out.
tregibbs says
Just a word of caution – real Meyer lemons are actually smaller than regular lemons, and usually darker in color.
Rebecca says
My mom had a Meyer lemon tree (really more of a bush) in her Northern California garden. Her lemons were quite large – as big as or bigger than oranges. Whenever we wanted a lemon, throughput the winter and early spring months, we just picked one.
tregibbs says
Really?? Interesting – everyone Ive seen (we have several bushes) have been smaller and darker. But good to know – I stand corrected. Thank you!
Marc Matsumoto says
I think there are some small variations in meyer lemons as I’ve seen huge ones with thicker skin come out of people’s yards while commercially sold ones tend to be smaller with thinner skin. They are almost always more orange in color than lisbon lemons though and the fragrance is unmistakable. Here in Japan they’re sold as “sweet lemons”.
Tracy Langdon Quintrell says
My mouth is watering by just looking at this recipe! I have been lucky enough to find Dandy Meyer Lemons at Walmart of all places. They sell them for 1.98 a pound, which I find reasonable. But what really turned out to be very cool is I picked up two bags and they felt very different weight-wise. I weighed them on the produce scale and one bag was 1 pound, the other a pound and a half! So I weighed all of the bags and bought all of the biggest ones.Thank you for your recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hahaha, great story! That sounds like something I would do. Enjoy your find:-)
Kathy Stroup says
This is fantastic, Marc! I have 2 Meyer lemon trees, a standard and a dwarf. The two trees produce 2 sizes of lemons; predictably, the small ones grow on the dwarf and the large ones on the standard. I mainly planted them to make my MIL’s Meyer Lemon Ice Cream, but we don’t eat that much ice cream anymore, and my trees have matured to a point where they produce a whole lot of fruit. I make marmalade, but that also involves sugar. This recipe will definitely expand my Meyer lemon repertoire!
I have tried other recipes for these, but they didn’t work out well. I always know I can trust yours to turn out well.😊🍋💛
Marc Matsumoto says
I really need to bite the bullet and plant a tree. Our olive tree got attacked by beetles last year and I removed it this summer so I’ve been trying to decide whether to plant a Meyer lemon or Yuzu tree in its place. We have a neighbor that has a massive Meyer lemon tree so I’m pretty sure the climate is suitable. Hope you enjoy this, it kind of reminds me of a spicy umeboshi 😆
Kathy Stroup says
Does your neighbor share the fruit? I haven’t gotten to the point of having too many, but a lot of my neighbors just put a box out on the curb when they need to distribute their extras. I want a yuzu, since I can’t find the fruits here very often.
Maybe you can plant one of each? Dwarf Meyer lemon trees produce well, and I like the size of the fruits. They grow more like a shrub than a tree. I’m going to get a dwarf Yuzu; I doubt I could even find a standard size here. It’s only a matter of different root stocks. Most home gardeners want a manageable-sized tree. I do like the look of a standard citrus. They get too big to harvest the fruits easily, though.
Marc Matsumoto says
We got a couple from them last year, but I’m not sure what they do with all the other fruit. Our “front yard” consists of a mound of dwarf lilyturf with a lavender bush on top and another slightly larger mound of dwarf lilyturf that has a blueberry bush and used to have an olive tree. It’s probably 3 sq/yds in total. There’s no backyard, but I do have a second floor balcony where I have some planters… I might try and see if I can find a big enough planter to accommodate a dwarf tree that will fit in the little strip of land on one side of the house (it’s only about 2.5 feet wide).
Kathy Stroup says
Might be a nice protected location if there’s enough light. We had our citrus in 20″ pots before we moved here and they did well. Espalier would work; in any case, citrus can be easily pruned and trained to fit. I can tell you are a frustrated farmer. I hope that your dream of owning a country home comes to fruition soon!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hahahaha “frustrated farmer”. That’s the perfect description. I watch a lot of gardening youtube, green with envy🤣
Kathy Stroup says
There is something so soul-satisfying about these. Every flavor is there, and my mouth is very happy munching them right out of the jar! Because the Meyers bring some sweetness, these are not as harsh as some preserved lemons. I’m dreaming of a cocktail at the moment, but for now I just splashed a drop of Russell Henry gin https://www.tamardistillery.com/russell-henry-gin on one. I’m also thinking of using the juice in sparkling water. I think it would be better than lemonade!😋🍋🥃
Marc Matsumoto says
What a great idea! Might be good on the rim of the glass of a margarita as well, or a citrus version of a dirty martini….?
Kathy Stroup says
Sorry to keep going on about these, but they’re just so good! I took some of the slices, along with the juice and spices, and I pureed them in a Vitamix small cup. It made kind of a loose paste. I’ve been adding it to dishes like salad dressings and sautéed vegetables. I’ve added it to yogurt to make a veggie dip and spread it on a sandwich. It really adds so much depth of flavor without being obtrusive. I always crave sour and bitter elements, and this paste adds those tastes in a subtle way.
My initial intention was to use it in hummus, but I’ve been so busy cooking other things that I haven’t gotten around to trying it. I’m sure it will work well. Thank you for the inspiration to make these! I hope if you find time to make some Preserved Lemons that you will try making this puree.
Marc Matsumoto says
So many great ideas here! I like mixing preserved lemons into labneh, but I hadn’t tried pureeing them first. Definitely going to try this the next time I have a bunch of Meyer lemons.