How-to guide
How to Make Preserved Lemons — Morocco's Essential Salted Citrus
Preserved lemons — l'hamd markad — are the salty, mellow, faintly floral backbone of Moroccan cooking, indispensable in a chicken tagine and countless other dishes. Fresh lemons are packed in salt and left to cure in their own juice for weeks, which tames the sourness and softens the rind until the whole fruit, peel and all, becomes usable. It is one of the simplest preserves you can make and needs only lemons, salt and time. This guide gives the classic method; once you have a jar, learn how to store preserved lemons so they keep for a year.
20 minutes plus 3-4 weeks curing
Step by step
- 1
Choose and scrub the lemons
Pick thin-skinned, unwaxed lemons if you can — smaller ones cure faster and pack better. Scrub them well under running water to remove any wax or grime, since you will eat the peel. Small, thin-skinned varieties give the softest, most fragrant result.
- 2
Cut a deep cross
Slice each lemon lengthways almost into quarters but leave it joined at the base, so it opens like a flower but stays in one piece. This exposes the flesh to the salt while keeping the fruit whole for packing. Cut over a bowl to catch any juice.
- 3
Pack with salt
Open each lemon and pack coarse salt generously into the cuts and over the flesh, then close it back up. Use plenty — the salt is the preservative. Coarse or sea salt is ideal; avoid iodised table salt, which can taste harsh and cloud the brine.
- 4
Press into a jar
Put a spoon of salt in the bottom of a sterilised jar, then push the salted lemons in one at a time, pressing down hard so they release their juice. Add a bay leaf or a cinnamon stick between layers if you like. Squash them tightly so the juice starts to rise.
- 5
Top up with juice
The packed lemons should be submerged in their own juice. If they are not, squeeze extra fresh lemon juice over them until they are fully covered — never top up with water, which would dilute the brine and risk spoilage. Leave a little air gap at the top.
- 6
Seal and cure
Seal the jar and leave it at room temperature for the first few days, turning it daily so the salt dissolves and the juice bathes every lemon. Then keep it somewhere cool and dark for three to four weeks. The rind is ready when it is soft and yields easily to a knife.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using too little salt, which risks spoilage rather than a clean cure.
- Topping the jar up with water instead of lemon juice, diluting the preservative brine.
- Leaving the lemons only part-submerged, so exposed peel can grow mould.
- Using waxed, unwashed lemons when you will be eating the rind.
- Impatience — using the lemons before the rind has softened after several weeks.
Tips from the kitchen
- Sterilise the jar with boiling water first for a clean, long-lasting cure.
- Press hard when packing; the more juice the lemons give up, the better they keep.
- A cinnamon stick, bay leaf or a few coriander seeds add a subtle background note.
- Use a clean fork, not fingers, to lift lemons out so the remaining jar stays good.
- It is mainly the rind you cook with — rinse it and discard the salty pulp if a recipe calls only for peel.
Questions
How long do preserved lemons take to be ready?
Usually three to four weeks. The salt and the lemons' own juice slowly soften the rind and mellow the sourness. You can tell they are ready when the peel is tender enough to cut easily and the harsh raw-lemon edge has gone. Longer curing only deepens the flavour.
Do you eat the whole preserved lemon?
Most recipes use mainly the rind, which carries the distinctive mellow, salty flavour. Many cooks rinse it and scrape away the soft, very salty pulp before slicing the peel into a dish. Some stir a little of the pulp or brine into dressings and sauces for extra depth.
What kind of salt should I use?
Coarse sea salt or another non-iodised salt is best. It preserves cleanly and dissolves into a good brine. Avoid iodised table salt, which can give a harsh, slightly metallic taste and sometimes clouds the liquid. There is no need to add anything but salt, lemons and optional aromatics.
Can I speed up preserved lemons?
Somewhat. Using small, thin-skinned lemons, cutting them deeply and keeping the jar warm for the first days all help the cure along. Some cooks quarter or slice the lemons for a faster result. But there is no true shortcut to the mellow flavour that a few weeks of curing gives.
Learn it hands-on in Marrakech
Reading is one thing; doing it beside a local host is another. Book a Marrakech cooking class, or explore the medina on a guided food tour.