Preserved lemons & Moroccan beef roast recipe

Mark

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Preserved lemons to me means Morocco and Moroccan style cooking. In my younger days I once spent nearly 12 months in Morocco and the amazing food experience has always stayed with me.

Moroccans cook a lot of stews and often use preserved lemons to add flavour. Although the whole lemon (quartered) is preserved usually it's only the skin that's used for cooking because adding the whole lemon to most dishes would be overpowering. The skin after preserving is glossy and soft so it almost melts into the dish.

However, for my Moroccan style beef roasts I use the preserved lemons slightly differently by including the whole lemon skin and pulp mashed up with about a tablespoon of crushed garlic and a good sprinkle of olive oil. This mash is then rubbed into the roast seasoned with pepper and just a little extra salt but not too much as the preserved lemons are already heavily salted, before cooking at 180 C for about 1:30 depending on meat size.

You can add other herb and spices for a more authentic taste but that is the basic way I do our fast'n easy Moroccan style beef roasts and it's a taste sensation!

The way to preserve lemons is also fast and easy:
  • Get some lemons
  • Get some rock salt
  • Get some large jars
Method
  • Cut the lemons in quarters and pack tightly into jars layering and adding generous amounts of rock salt as you go.
  • When jars are full use some left over lemons as juice and pour over the packed lemons to cover.
  • Leave for at least 4 weeks before using and they should last at least 12 months in the fridge or pantry.
Note: If the preserved lemons spoil or over ferment it's likely not enough salt was used when packing.

preserved lemons beef roast.jpg


preserved lemons close up top.jpg
 

Steve

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Hey this looks different.... and tasty. :)

I might have to give this a try sometime. It sounds pretty cool.
I'm always on the look out for new tastes and this looks worth a try.

Can you buy lemons preserved like this in the shops? I've never seen it but I guess I've never looked for it either.
It's easy enough to do myself but I was just thinking if I wanted to have a go a lot sooner than 4 weeks.

Thanks Mark for sharing.
 

Mark

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Cheers Steve glad you like it. I can't recall seeing them in a shop but they'd have to be sold somewhere in a speciality section or shop.
 

David Trees

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How do you make your Lemon Curd Mark? Got a video on that? Would be great to see. My sons won't eat lemon but we buy Lemon Curd from the store...???? Boys... Shheesh go figure!

My sons heard you mention it in one of your videos you made about the Meyer Lemon Jam/Marmalade.

The beef above is going to be cooked...??? In your Webber?
 

Mark

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How do you make your Lemon Curd Mark? Got a video on that? Would be great to see. My sons won't eat lemon but we buy Lemon Curd from the store...???? Boys... Shheesh go figure!

My sons heard you mention it in one of your videos you made about the Meyer Lemon Jam/Marmalade.

The beef above is going to be cooked...??? In your Webber?
Nah, I haven't made a video on lemon curd but it's easy to make and honestly I just follow Google on that one - I should make a video but... Yes, I did mention it in the Meyer Jam video - there's lots we can do with a surplus of lemons!

I didn't do the meat in the Webber (should've) but rather I used our oven and the preserved lemons gave the beef a nice Moroccan zing - very enjoyable.
 
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