Preserved Lemons

October 5, 2016 6:23 PM

I bought some preserved lemons. Now what?

I kept reading about how great preserved lemons were, so I bought some at Trader Joe's. But I'm coming up a bit blank on what to do with them, other than a tagine, which will definitely happen.

Otherwise, I've seen a few recipe lists but would love some personal recommendations - either recipes or just ideas.

Extra points for the kinds of things you'd make in a dutch oven or crockpot (or pressure cooker) since it's autumn where I am and I'm craving warm, hearty, autumn-y type food.

posted by lunasol to Food & Drink (21 answers total)

Scroll down for a lengthy list of suggested uses here.
posted by stray at 6:25 PM on October 5, 2016

Tunisian sandwich! (tuna, lemons, capers, harissa, plus some add things like olives or potatoes)
posted by praemunire at 6:25 PM on October 5, 2016

I made this recipe for lemon-ricotta-avocado-tomato sandwiches once, and now my wife won't let me stop making it. More of a summery thing but still pretty tasty. Use good bread, and fwiw, the recipe says to only use the skin of the preserved lemons but I always just chop them up small and use the flesh and all.
posted by DingoMutt at 6:41 PM on October 5, 2016 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Since I started using preserved lemon my fridge is never without it. Use it whenever you'd use lemons for an extra layer of complexity.
You have to try Canal House Chicken With Preserved Lemons!
Other than that, I make a braised chicken in the dutch oven with a couple handfuls of garlic cloves and thyme and roughly chopped preserved lemon and it's absolutely heavenly. I think I followed one of those old 'chicken with 40 cloves of garlic' recipes at first but now I just wing it.
posted by The Toad at 7:19 PM on October 5, 2016

Chermoula sauce. Prince liked it, so it must be good!
posted by mysterious_stranger at 8:25 PM on October 5, 2016

Enthusiastically seconding the Canal House Chicken recipe - it's splendid! And pretty easy, too.
posted by Quietgal at 8:30 PM on October 5, 2016

Lemon pound cake!
posted by spilon at 9:08 PM on October 5, 2016

Ok, this is a bit of effort in terms of knife work, but it's really lovely.

Make a relish of equal parts of finely chopped fennel bulb and watermelon radish (regular radish would work just as well). Add minced preserved lemon to taste. Mix with a drizzle of good olive oil and a grind of pepper.

Make crostini (slice baguette rounds, brush with oil, season with S&P and bake until edges are crisp but the centers are still soft.

Now mash an avocado and season it with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Top crostini with a thin (or thick) layer of the avo mash, then top with a little scoop of the relish. Top with a bit of fennel frond if you are feeling fancy.
posted by jenquat at 9:22 PM on October 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pagliacci's, the Seattle pizza-by-the-slice chain, has lately had a jar of preserved lemon on the counter as a little merchandising for a new pizza with that ingredient. I haven't had the pizza yet and can't find it described on their site, but a little googling turned up this recipe for Preserved Lemon, Basil, Smoked Mozz Pizza.

I'd be willing to bet that whatever works with brined artichoke hearts will probably work pretty well with preserved lemons. Sounds like the lemon should be applied sparingly, though.

This site suggests a "Salty Collins," a preserved lemon Tom Collins. I think I'd try something along the lines of a preserved-lemon version of a dirty martini, too. Here's another idea, a sweet-and-sour gin drink called the Bee's Knees.
posted by Sunburnt at 9:33 PM on October 5, 2016

Best answer: Chop them up and use them in *everything*! Whatever you are making, from salad to dressing to guacamole to steak to chicken to salmon to homemade popcorn - include them.
posted by Toddles at 9:49 PM on October 5, 2016

Best answer: I use mine in roasted chicken - I got a recipe somewhere called "pot-roasted chicken with lemon", where you just get about a half-pound of potatoes and a couple chicken parts per person, and then you chop the potatoes, throw them in a roasting pan, and tuck a couple pieces of preserved lemon in them - then put the chicken parts on top and roast the whole thing for an hour. It's a good basic recipe that I can basically make in my sleep.

For more traditional roasted chicken I take a piece or two of preserved lemon and make a paste using that, some chopped herbs and some butter and spread that on the chicken before roasting.

I've also used it in broiled fish filets - just mush a piece up and smear it on top of the fish filets before you broil them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:48 AM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

This Williams Sonoma recipe is a braised chicken that uses lemons, saffron and coriander, and add potatoes to carry all that sauce further.

Another good use is in lemon ricotta pancakes.
posted by Dashy at 5:18 AM on October 6, 2016

For a fast side dish, make couscous according to directions, then stir in your preserved lemon, minced, along with toasted pine nuts, sauteed onion and a bit of chopped mint (or parsley if you prefer). Great with a juicy broiled lamb chop!
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:21 AM on October 6, 2016

They're incredibly good on pizza.
posted by Cygnet at 1:35 PM on October 6, 2016

I use them for a fast salad dressing. Start with a bowl of greens dressed with olive oil. Add a section of preserved lemon, chopped small. Ground pepper. That's all you need... the P.L. makes it great!
Additional toppings that go well: walnuts, almonds, scallions, radishes, canned tuna, beans.
posted by valannc at 2:53 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

Specific to Seattle area: Britt's Pickles makes preserved lemons and they are so good!
posted by valannc at 3:21 PM on October 6, 2016

Best answer: One wedge of preserved lemon, chopped
One tbsp minced ginger
One tbsp soy sauce

That's a good marinade / sauce for a lot of kinds of fish.
posted by DaveP at 6:21 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

Also useful for just about any vegetable, especially in teeny slivers with your asparagus. Mmmm.
posted by Edna Million at 10:15 AM on October 7, 2016

A cafe near my office makes a fantastic salad with quinoa, chopped up preserved lemons, tuna, parboiled green beans, and chopped tomatoes. It's divine.
posted by amusebuche at 3:52 AM on October 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

I just made the Canal House Chicken referenced above, using 1/3 of my jar of Trader Joe's preserved lemons, and it was AMAZING. Thank you for asking the question!
posted by sorrygottago at 4:23 PM on October 8, 2016

Response by poster: Thank you all! So many great ideas! I'm going to make the Canal House Chicken first!
posted by lunasol at 9:50 AM on October 10, 2016