I first experienced preserved lemons during a cooking class in Morocco last year.  The chef explained the arduous process of letting them cure for 6+ months.  I quickly wrote it off as something that would be nice to have but not something I ever thought I could recreate at home.

Turns out I was wrong.  Inspired by the abundance of Meyer lemons at my local Trader Joe’s, I found a recipe for preserving that takes a week tops on one of my favorite blogs.  I chopped up these yellow beauties and stashed in the cupboard for the week.  The good news is they last 6 months, so taking a little time now to cut and prep ensures endless Middle Eastern dishes to come.  And they certainly look pretty on the shelf!

 

 

I’ve successfully used the lemons in a version of this cous cous dish, but I used riced cauliflower instead of actual cous cous and added roasted fennel, delish!  I also chopped up some lemons and tossed them in a bowl with mixed olives, olive oil and some of my secret Moroccan spice mix; takes me right back to Marrakech!