I’ve been playing with my Tagine a lot lately. Simple to use, certainly turns all vegetables into exciting mouthfuls, thanks to Ottolenghi. I’m now preserving lemons.
All you need is an airtight jar, lemons and salt.
It takes about a month for the lemons and salt to work their magic and transform from salty lemons to preserved ones. When that time arrives, the question of what to do with them comes to mind. Really, they work well in nearly any savoury dish where you would add lemons or lemon zest,
Rinse well with water before using. It is typically the peel, not the flesh of the lemon, that’s used

Ingredients
|
![]() |
- Spoon 1 tablespoon of salt into the jar.
- Cut 3 lemons into quarters, leaving the very bottom of each one attached (so that if you open it, it fans out like a flower and is still connected at the bottom).
- Spoon 1 tablespoon salt into the center of the first lemon, close it, and put it into the jar.
- Continue with the 2nd and 3rd lemons, smashing them down firmly into the jar to make room for more, if possible.
- If some room remains, add another half or whole lemon, using 1/2 to a full tablespoon of salt accordingly. Fit as many lemons as you can as long as there is at least 1/2 inch of room at the top.
- Add another tablespoon of salt to the top of the lemons.
- Cut 1 or 2 lemons in half and squeeze enough juice so that the lemons are immersed in liquid.
- Put on the lid and store in a cool place. Turn the jar over every day for 4 days, then store in the fridge. .
- .After a month, your preserved lemons will be ready to use