Wondering what to do with your jar of preserved lemons? Here are a few ideas to use them up – while starting a new jar!

A few weeks ago, we started our new Technique Tuesday column by making Preserved Lemons in Salt. By now, your lemons should be soft and ready to use. But you may be wondering, “what do I do with them?!”

Preserved lemons add a brightness to other ingredients, much like capers or olives do. The flavor is at once salty and slightly lemony. Once you start using them you will be amazed at their versatility. Below are a few creative ideas for you.

How to Prepare the Preserved Lemon

1. Break off one of the lemon quarters. Rinse with water.
2. Some people use both the lemon rind and pulp, but most discard the pulp and only use the rind.
3. Thinly slice or dice the rind. Voila! Ready to use.

Preserved Lemon Recipe Ideas

• Use in place of, or in addition to, capers or olives in any recipe.
• Add to potato salad (as I did in the above photo) or pasta/grain salads.
• Add to chicken salad or tuna salad.
• Add to purchased deli salads to provide extra flavor.
• Add to vegetable stuffing mixes like stuffed zucchini or stuffed eggplant.
• Add to homemade pesto of any kind.
• Thinly slice and cook with fresh peas, asparagus, or string beans.
• Add to sautéed greens like spinach, collards, or Swiss chard.
• Slice and add to an appetizer plate along with artichoke hearts, grilled bell peppers, and olive oil.
• Tuck the whole quarter into a roasting chicken.
• Slice and lay over fish while baking or grilling.
• Add to any bean salad. The salty-acid combination adds umami to earthy beans.
• Slice or dice for a quick pasta dish. Toss with cooked angel hair pasta, shredded Parmesan or Mizithra cheese, cracked black pepper, and olive oil.

How do YOU use Preserved Lemons?

Already this month I have added preserved lemons to homemade potato salad, stuffed zucchini, homemade pesto, reheated black beans, and numerous tomato salads (the garden is exploding!).

Do you have a favorite way to use preserved lemons? Let me know in the comments.