Looking for ways to use the preserved lemons, limes, or oranges you made this month? Here are more than 40 ways to use salt preserved citrus to delicious effect.
Lots of you have taken a leap of faith with me this month and have made a jar of preserved lemons, limes, oranges, or grapefruit for the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge without really knowing what to do when them when they’re ready. In order that I’ve not led you astray, here’s a list of things that you can make with your salt preserved citrus when it’s ready.
I will say that most of these recipes do call for preserved lemons, but take heart, most will work beautifully with any preserved citrus. I’ve made note down below when I think substitutions would be particularly tasty.
From New York Times Cooking
- Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
- Veal Shanks with Preserved Lemon
- Soft Shell Crab with Preserved Lemons and Almonds
- White Gazpacho with Preserved Lemon
- Moroccan Chickpeas with Chard
- Green Lentils with Roasted Beets and Preserved Lemons
- Artichokes and Preserved Lemon with Honey and Spices
- Chermoula Eggplant with Bulgar and Yogurt
- Charred Shallots with Labneh and Pita (any kind of preserved citrus will work here)
- Couscous Salad with Dried Apricots and Preserved Lemons (this one would also work beautifully with the grapefruit or orange)
- Lemon Angel Food Cake with Preserved Lemon Curd
From Epicurious
- Slow Cooker Marrakech Chicken Stew with Preserved Lemons and Olives
- Lamb with Preserved Lemon
- Strozzapreti with Spinach and Preserved Lemons
- Spicy Crab Spaghettini with Preserved Lemons
- Cod with Potatoes and Preserved Lemon Relish (that relish would be good with any preserved citrus and would be good on all manner of protein)
- Harissa Onion Dogs with Preserved Lemon Relish
- Spicy Potato Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives
- Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Preserved Lemon (think of all the roasted root vegetables that would benefit from preserved citrus)
- Roasted Radicchio with Anchovy Vinaigrette, Preserved Lemons, and Breadcrumbs
- Herb Salad with Pickled Red Onion and Preserved Lemon (any of the citrus would be good here)
- Red Onion, Parsley, and Preserved Lemon Salad
- Arugula Salad with Pickled Beets and Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
- Cracked Green Olives with Herbs and Preserved Lemons
From Food52
- Shrimp with Chickpeas, Green Olives, and Preserved Lemon
- Chicken with Caramelized Sumac Onions, Preserved Lemon, and Israeli Couscous
- Chicken Thighs with Lemon
- Roast Chicken with Brown Butter and Lemon
- Broiled Skirt Steak with Cilantro and Preserved Lemon Gremolata
- Fennel, Merguez, and Preserved Lemon Braise
- Grilled Bread with Thyme Pesto and Preserved Lemon Cream
- Pea Greens and Sugar Snaps with Preserved Lemon Cream
- Portobello Mushrooms with Pearled Barley and Preserved Lemon
- Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa
- Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Preserved Lemon Dressing
- Preserved Lemon Aioli
- Shaved Fennel and Tuna Salad with Preserved Lemon (would be so good with preserved orange)
- Watermelon with a Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
- Preserved Lemon Margarita (imagine that with limes!!!)
- Preserved Lemon Ice Cream
- Preserved Lemon Butter (make it in smaller batches, slather it on everything)
Finally, some thoughts on using preserved citrus without a recipe. So many dishes, from simple vinaigrettes to grain salads, soups, and casseroles, can typically benefit from the addition of salt and acid. Thing of preserved citrus as a single condiment that can deliver both.
Chop the rind into tiny bits and stir it into your chicken, lentil, or bean soup. Pour a bit of the liquid off into a stew that needs brightening. Whir some of your jar into a thick puree and spoon it into hummus. Once you get to know the flavor, you’ll find that preserved citrus is endlessly useful.
Thanks so much for this. I have a lime tree that really cranks out limes so I make preserved limes every year and then struggle with how best to use them.
One additional idea is to use a section (a 1/4) in a gin and tonic instead of a fresh lime wedge. I call it a Salty G&T.
If I have last year’s preserved limes left when I’m starting a new batch , I puree the remaining old batch (peel, flesh and salty sludge) and keep in a jar in the frig. That makes it even easier to add to pan sauces, salad dressings or pretty much anywhere you need salt.
Thank you for this ! I was never sure if you were supposed to eat the inside or the rind. I know that sounds stupid but there you go lol 😉
Very timely suggestions. Especially nice to see that are are plenty of opportunities to use them for those of us who just do not like salt. (Yes, we are out here! Some people like a little too much salt, but some of us don’t like salt even a little.)
Thanks!
Thank you for this. Preserving lemons for the first time. So excited to put them to tasty use!
There is great recipe for hummus with preserved lemon in Alana Chernila’s book, The Homemade Kitchen. She also has a good recipe for a kind of “deconstructed” tuna noodle casserole on her website.
These look great! So far I threw some in whenever I’ve been braising lamb and that’s proved to be a good choice (especially the lamb shoulder I braised in blackberry porter). I’ve been thinking they would be good chopped up in tuna salad instead of my usual dill pickles. I am super interested in that ice cream recipe, though!
Thanks for suggesting so many different ways to use the preserved citrus! I am sure these are useful for everyone!
Thank you for posting this. I recently discovered preserved lemons and decided to make some but didn’t really think about what I was going to use them in. LOL
Question: How long is it safe to keep these salt preserved lemons in the refrig? I’ve had mine since last winter and they still *seem* fine, but when something is already funky, how do you tell??? I’m barely halfway through the giant jar I made and need to know if I should keep cooking with them or if it’s time to start giving them away just to let them be used before they go bad.
I’ve kept some for 2-3 years without issue. If they start getting funky, excessively slimy or generally gross, then get rid of them. But if they seem fine, then they are fine.