How to Make Preserved Lemons (and Why They’re Amazing)

Welcome to My Pioneering Life! I’m Josh, and here I share modern pioneer skills—gardening, homesteading, and cooking from scratch—to give my family a little grace and pass these traditions forward.

From Moroccan kitchens to modern homesteads, preserved lemons are one of the most powerful flavor boosters you can keep in your pantry. In this video, I’ll show you step-by-step how to make preserved lemons at home, share the history behind this centuries-old preservation method, and give you multiple ways to use them in your everyday cooking.

In this video you’ll learn:

The simple, traditional recipe for making Moroccan preserved lemons with just salt, spices, and time

Why preserved lemons have been treasured since at least the 10th century

How to use them in quick weeknight meals and slow-simmered classics

Recipes like a falafel wrap with tahini preserved lemon sauce, a refreshing preserved lemon mocktail, traditional Moroccan chicken tagine, and a whole roasted chicken with preserved lemons and herbs

This video connects cooking, gardening, and food preservation—a way to cut down on waste, use every part of the lemon, and bring bold flavor to your kitchen. If you love learning old-school homesteading skills while trying modern, creative recipes, you’ll feel right at home here.

Recipes and ideas featured:

Homemade preserved lemons (step-by-step method)

Tahini preserved lemon sauce for falafel wraps

Preserved lemon mocktail with date syrup and rosemary

Moroccan chicken tagine with green olives and preserved lemon

Roasted preserved lemon chicken with herbs

00:00 – From Cocktails to Family Cooking
01:00 – Why Preserved Lemons Matter
02:30 – How to Make Preserved Lemons at Home
03:56 – Quick Falafel Wrap with a Bright Twist
05:10 – A Mocktail with a Secret Ingredient
09:39 – The Dish Preserved Lemons Were Made For
10:32 – Roast Chicken, Reinvented
12:23 – Why I Keep Preserved Lemons in My Kitchen

Subscribe to follow along:
Watch my full playlist of recipes and preservation tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYkivjOKGbQ&list=PLxGG1ARikuTYRMQRe1RVkVvmHLXEDhnfp

On this channel you’ll find:
• Food preservation (canning, fermenting, pickling, freezing)
• Gardening tips for small spaces and backyard abundance
• Honest, from-scratch cooking for family meals
• Pioneer skills adapted for modern life

Stick around if you love self-sufficiency, old skills with a modern twist, and family-centered homesteading.

From world class cocktails to family recipes, today we’re making preserved lemons, the star of the kitchen. [Music] The first time I ever saw preserved lemons, it wasn’t in the kitchen. It was behind the bar at an Irish pub. My friend Cassandra was training for Diagio World Class, one of the most notorious bartending contests in the entire world. 6,000 people are chosen from the from everybody on the planet every year that bartend to be part of this contest. I did it in 2019, and I only made it to level one, which was the top 100 in America, which is a huge accomplishment in and of itself. Cassandra, on the other hand, she made it so much further than I did. She is an amazing bartender and she was preparing for this contest by trying new flavors and really trying to integrate things differently. So when she brought in some lemons and a handful of salt, I had to ask a question. What are you doing with this? Well, what she said she was doing was that she was going to be making a Moroccan style preserved lemon and to use that in a cocktail. I thought this is crazy until I tried it. Cassandra was so much more than just a friend. She was also something of a mentor to me. And she pushed everyone around her to be more creative with what they were trying to do with their cocktails. And that moment changed the way that I thought about flavor forever. That spark stuck with me and it followed me out of the pub and into my very own kitchen at home. Cassandra inspired me to chase creativity. These days, I’m not behind the bar anymore. I’m in my kitchen learning old school preservation skills. So that way when I do buy my own land and I start gardening there, it’ll feel like second nature to me. And so my kid grows up with these skills as well. And that’s what my pioneering life is about. It’s about taking old traditions and making them part of your family life. Do you practice any skills now for the future? Drop them in the comments. I’d love to hear about it. But before we get to the recipes, there’s one big problem about how most of us use lemons. Most of us just use the juice out of this and then toss the peel out. And that is really wasteful. But preserved lemons change that. And this isn’t some trendy new trick. Cooks in Morocco have been using this technique since at least the 10th century. Families, traders, and travelers, they all relied on this as a shelf stable burst of brightness. So, if you’re wondering how to actually make these preserved lemons at home, it’s easier than you think. Never in my life have I been so thrilled that I don’t have any cuts or microabbrasions on my hand because I just made preserved lemons and that would have been really bad. Start with clean organic lemons if you can get them. Wash them well. Then cut each lemon into quarters, but not all the way through. Leave the bottom part attached so that way it opens up like a flower. Pack each lemon generously with coarse kosher salt. Then press it down into a clean jar. Layer more salt between each lemon. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice to help cover them. And this is where you can get creative. I like to tuck some spices into mine just to give it a little bit of added depth. something like bay leaves or cinnamon or star anannis, things of that nature. They infuse the brine with subtle warmth that makes the lemons even more complex. Once the jar is full, top it off with a little bit of lemon juice to make sure that all of those lemons are submerged underneath the brine level. This helps to protect it so that way it doesn’t get any nastiness in there. Seal the jar and let it sit at room temperature for at least 3 to 4 weeks. Give it a gentle shake every few days to move the salt around. Over time, the peel soften, the brine thickens, and that’s how you know that you’re done. After that, they’ll keep in the fridge for months, and they’ll only improve with age. And once you’ve got a jar of preserved lemons on the shelf, the possibilities open up. So, I’m going to show you a few of my favorites. I made a quick falafel wrap using a tortilla, some tahini, preserved lemon sauce, cucumber, tomato, and herbs. The sauce is seriously delicious. Whisk tahini, a squeeze of lemon, a clove of garlic, and a spoonful of minced preserved lemon peel. Add a splash of brine because that’s where all the salty magic lives. Thin it out with some water until it’s smooth and pourable. First, spread it out on some flatbread or I used a squeezy bottle in order to be able to drizzle mine over the top. It was fantastic that way. You get a lot of that flavor right up front. Then start building your falafel. Add on some tomatoes, cucumbers, and some fresh herbs. And that’s it. All right. So, usually I’d make you watch me take the first bite, but I was just so hungry and I couldn’t help it, but this is super fresh and very flavorful. Uh the the falafel are nice and filling and uh they kind of got that that nice kind of crispiness, which is complimented well by the herbaceiousness and the nuttiness of the herbs involved as well as that sauce. This is terrific. Absolutely. It tastes like something from a food cart, but the preserved lemon sauce just makes it pop even more. Would you try this shortcut for dinner? Comment below about your favorite weekn night hack. And since Cassandra first introduced me to preserved lemons in a cocktail, let’s take it back to my old school roots and put them in a drink. This one works beautifully with a non-alcoholic spirit. Or if you’re looking for something a little bit more traditional, you can hit that with a little bit of tequila. I think that the balance between that, the saltiness and the brine will really kind of make things really a lot of fun and kind of like a uh a lemon margarita but with a little bit of preservation, which I kind of dig. Or you can keep it simple and not add the non-alcoholic gin or the tequila and keep it familyfriendly. That way, everybody can enjoy it. So, here’s my twist. I used preserved lemons, date syrup, a little bit of non-alcoholic gin, some rosemary, and a splash of lemon juice, and then topped it up with some soda water just to give it a little fizz and integrate all those flavors nicely. We’re going to go ahead and toss this into my protein shaker with a little bit of some rosemary. Next up, we’re going to use some date syrup. I did this because I didn’t want to have high sugar content and I’ve heard that dates are a healthier sweetener option. We’re going to muddle that up really good. Get those flavors really mangled well. So, we’ve used the non-alcoholic gin. This is DHO’s Ginfree. It’s the gin that I have uh found has the best flavor, the closest to true gin that I can find on the market. Uh to be honest, I haven’t put a lot of effort into looking for a better gin. Once I tried this, I thought that this was phenomenal. So, I’ve been kind of sticking with it. [Applause] Little out of practice, but you know, whatever. So, we got this shaker cup. So, this is going to be great. I don’t have to use a strainer. There’s nothing really super fine in there anyway besides some of that rosemary peel, but that’s okay. If that gets in my drink, I’m not going to be too upset about it. Now, here’s the trick when dealing with herbs. When you’re making a cocktail, always give it a little smack. That’ll wake up the the aromatics and make that smell really nice. All right. So, now we’re going to go ahead and give this drink a try. It’s definitely got a nice dark kind of a brown color. Uh there’s hints of amber and hints of maybe some gold, but it’s got a really nice pretty head on it from that from that soda water. Let’s just sparkle that up a little bit more so you can get a good view of that. Yeah, that’s going to be delicious. M. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s very [Music] You can taste the date. That sweet flavor is just really nicely on point. The gem is a little bit muted. I’ll be honest. It’s There’s not a whole lot of that flavor in here, but I only used an ounce. The bubbles lift the citrus. The date syrup smooths some of those rougher edges, and the rosemary gives it a nice herbal kick. It’s salty, sweet, bright, and refreshing. Basically, sunshine in a glass. Now, I stopped drinking about 6 years ago when I stopped bartending. This was a huge change to my life, but I felt that if I wasn’t going to be out in the bars working, I didn’t need to be out in the bars drinking. And so I’ve started to discover some alternative flavors, uh, non-alcoholic beers, uh, non-alcoholic wine, which is really wonderful. They dealcoize that, which is basically a process where they extract the alcohol with a a vacuum still, leaving behind all of the wonderful flavor of that wine. And so I’m a big fan of that. And this, I’m not disappointed by this at all. This is a delicious beverage. If you’d like to see more drinks like this, let me know in the comments so that way I know what you’d like to see coming up. And if you’re still watching now, subscribing means that you’re not going to miss the next recipe. That’s the quick and sparkling side of preserved lemons. But now, let’s slow it down. Moroccan chicken tine with green olives and preserved lemon. This one takes a little time, but it’s totally worth the effort. Start by browning the chicken pieces in olive oil. Pull them out. Soften onions until golden. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, and turmeric. I used a little bit of smoked paprika just for a little extra flavor. Not that you need it. Then add the chicken back with stock. Let it simmer until it’s tender. Cook it together another 10 minutes. Traditionally, it’s served with couscous, but rice works well, too. Now, I thought I hit the record button, but apparently I missed it. So, I’ll just tell you this straight. This was my favorite recipe that we made with the preserved lemons. Hands down. The chicken was tender, the sauce was savory and rich, and the preserved lemons brightened every single bite. I could have eaten the whole pot by myself. Would you try something old school like this or stick with the quick hacks? Comment below and let me know what your thoughts are on the subject. If the tine feels like a little too much work for the week nights, here’s a simple way that I put preserved lemons to work. Sometimes I like to keep things simple, so I spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone so it lays flat. Then I tucked preserved lemons under the skin with herbs and rubbed just a little bit more on top into a hot oven until the skin was golden and blistered. What came out was one of the juiciest, most flavorful roasts I have ever made. Salty, citrusy, rich. It’s the kind of meal that feels like a centerpiece, but it’s quick and easy enough for the week nights. The whole roasted preserved lemon chicken. I’m going to try a little bit of that thigh meat with some of the chicken breast skin just because I like it a little crunchy and I love the thigh meat, [Music] man. I’m talking that is action-packed with layers and layers of flavor. At first you get that that fatty that chicken greasy kind of from the skin and then you get a little bit of that crunchiness and then you get a little bit more crunchy and it’s like from that crispy lemon peel that just oh my god. Anyway, so the the this crispy lemon peel has a little bit of salt and it just adds so much to the flavor of just literally everything. Um, this chicken is fantastic. If you like seeing simple recipes along with more deep dives, let me know in the comments because that really lets me know what to make more of. Whether it’s quick, sparkling, traditional, or simple, preserved lemons fit in everywhere. Every time I use preserved lemons, I think back to Cassandra and that Irish pup. But I also think about centuries of cooks who kept tradition alive. Today, preserved lemons connect me to history, to my own kitchen, and one day to my kid. And that’s the pioneering life that I’m building, honoring the past while preparing for the future. Would you ever try preserved lemons in your own cooking? And if so, which dish would you try first? So, thanks for watching and don’t forget to check out my tomato jam video. Cheers. It’s just so good.

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