North African · sauce

Preserved Lemons with Bay Leaf

Name: Preserved Lemons with Bay Leaf
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: North African
Ingredients: 6 thick-skinned lemons, quartered (sixths or eighths if large); the squeezed pulp, about 200 g, is eaten too; Lemon zest: rind of the 6 lemons (about 240 g), the main part you eat; about 100 g salt (4 tbsp, heaped), plus a little for the jar base and top (the rind and pulp take up about 55 g); 4 large lemons, juiced, to cover (the juice stays in the jar); 1–2 bay leaves (optional, not eaten)

Preserved Lemons with Bay Leaf — from Maggie Beer's cooking video

Watch how it’s made · 17:11

Video by Maggie Beer on YouTube · Open on YouTube

30 min · plus 4–6 weeks curingMakes 48 × 1 tbsp chopped (10 g)3 kcal a portion

Low carb (0.5 g net carbs) but not keto: 6% of the energy is from fat, and keto meals get about 60% or more
Vegan
Gluten-free ingredients
Nut-free

Contains: none of the common allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

A big hit of lemon flavour for almost no calories (about 3 kcal a tablespoon) and no sugar. It is very salty — about 445 mg sodium a tablespoon unrinsed — so rinse it and use it in place of other salt in a dish.

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Ingredients 5

6 thick-skinned lemons, quartered (sixths or eighths if large); the squeezed pulp, about 200 g, is eaten too
Lemon zest: rind of the 6 lemons (about 240 g), the main part you eat
about 100 g salt (4 tbsp, heaped), plus a little for the jar base and top (the rind and pulp take up about 55 g)
4 large lemons, juiced, to cover (the juice stays in the jar)
1–2 bay leaves (optional, not eaten)

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

Pick thick-skinned lemons that have been on the tree a while; scrub off any wax. Remove the stems and cut each lemon into quarters (sixths or eighths if large). 0:47
Sprinkle a little salt into the bottom of clean wide-mouthed jars. Toss the lemon pieces with the 4 heaped tablespoons of salt (about 100 g for 6 lemons) until well covered. 3:24
Pack the pieces into the jars, squeezing each one hard over the jar as you go so the juice runs in, and press them down tightly, rind facing outwards. Slip in a bay leaf if you like. 4:49
Finish with a little more salt and pour in fresh lemon juice until every piece is covered — any lemon above the juice can go mouldy. Press down firmly so nothing floats, then close the jars. 6:50
Leave in the pantry for 4–6 weeks until the rind is soft. To use, rinse a piece if it is very salty, and chop the rind (and the pulp for tagines and braises). 8:34

Tip. Makes about 500 g of rind and pulp, roughly 48 tablespoons (our estimate). For a shortcut, freeze the cut quarters for about 4 hours (not overnight) before salting; they can be ready in 1–2 weeks. They keep for a year or more.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One portion, 1 tbsp chopped (10 g), gives you 1 of 48

Energy3 kcal10 kJ

Protein0.1 g0% of a day

Fibre0.5 g2% of a day

Carbohydrate1.1 g0.5 g net · 0.3 g sugars0% of a day

Fat0 g0 g saturated0% of a day

Sodium440 mg19% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

Net carbs 83%
Protein 17%
Fat 0%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

No vitamin or mineral reaches 10% of a day in one serve.

Show the other 15

Vitamin C9%

8.1 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (80%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Calcium1%

7.4 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (91%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Vitamin B61%

0 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (79%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Potassium0%

10 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (64%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Iron0%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (78%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Magnesium0%

1 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (72%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Zinc0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (69%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Vitamin A0%

0.2 µg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (94%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Vitamin E0%

0 mg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (60%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Vitamin K0%

0.1 µg a serve, mostly from bay leaves (100%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Folate0%

1.5 µg a serve, mostly from thick-skinned lemons (55%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin B120%

0 µg a serve. Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Selenium0%

0 µg a serve, mostly from lemon zest (88%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Omega-30%

0 g a serve, mostly from bay leaves (100%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

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Recipe and video by Maggie Beer; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.