Salted citrus an easy way to have that fresh flavor on hand for cooking all year long. Try salted lemons, tangerines, and salt preserved oranges to keep a variety of flavors on hand.
You can preserve the flavors of citrus in sugar, too — check out this easy orange sugar recipe.
Early in the year, our local citrus trees are bursting with fruit. Wanting to preserve some of that goodness, I decided to try salted citrus. Well, it worked. Because guess what? One* of the tangerines in the image below is two years old. Isn’t that wild??
Related: Tangerine Jam Recipe with Ginger and Vanilla
Let’s be clear – preserved lemons and other salted citrus is not for eating out of hand. The preserved fruit is incredibly salty and best reserved for cooking. But people. This is a super easy way to preserve citrus of any kind. Salted lemons and salted tangerines will keep for years at room temperature.
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Making salt preserved lemons and tangerines
While my salted lemons and tangerines remained very true to color for the first couple of years, it’s actually quite common for the fruit to turn brown as they age further.
Some people even put their jars of fruit out in the sun to hurry the preservation process; that seems to contribute to the browning of the fruit.
One lesson I learned the hard way: Don’t use one of your nice jars. The combination of salt, moisture, and time will cause the lid to rust. Opt for a recycled jar that you won’t mind getting rid of once your batch of preserved oranges is used up.
Related: Tangerine Season: Homemade Simple Syrup
Related: Tangerine Season: Homemade Simple Syrup
How to use salt preserved oranges, tangerines, or lemons
- Add to salted lemons to marinades and salad dressings.
- Stuff preserved oranges inside a chicken before you roast it.
- Chop salted lemons or limes into salsa or chutney.
- Use in Moroccan dishes like this tagine.
- Chop finely and add to a pasta dish or couscous.
*If you haven’t figured it out already, the two-year-old salted tangerine in the top image is on the right.
★ Did you make this recipe for preserved citrus? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Salted Lemons, Tangerines, or Oranges
Let's be clear - salted citrus is not for eating. These preserved oranges, lemons, and tangerines are incredibly salty and best reserved for cooking.
Ingredients
- Enough citrus to fill a gallon sized jar, tangerine, lemon, orange, grapefruit - whatever you like!
- 1-2 cups sea salt, avoid salt that has anti-caking agents like sodium silicoaluminate or sodium ferrocyanide
Instructions
- Make four equally spaced, vertical cuts almost to the center of the fruit. You want the core to hold the fruit together, but the deep cuts allow salt to enter the fruit.
- Or you could simply quarter the fruit.
Get salty
- Sprinkle a layer of salt on the bottom of your jar. Set a layer of fruit on top of the salt and shake around a bit. Continue alternating layers and shaking until the jar is full. Make sure that the fruit is well-coated with salt.
- Secure lid in place and set in an out of the way spot. The fruit will begin to release juice; occasionally turn the jar over and back gently, just to redistribute the salt and juices. Set aside for a couple of months. Or years.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 25 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 24Unsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 4528mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 2g
The last time I made some preserved lemons and used both regular and meyers. I added a long red hot chili pepper and a cinnamon stick. Star anise is also a great addition. I use them almost everyday – in place of salt in savory dishes, dressings and sauces.
I tried this but the saltiness is so strong I can’t taste any lemon….even tried rinsing them but they are terrible. Did I do something wrong?
They DO end up being salty, but the lemon flavor is usually strong.
I saw in other recipes that the lemons need to be completely covered with juice. I tried this recipe and the juice is just at the bottom of the jar (about one inch). Is this ok?
I’ve never had a lot of juice in mine. Just turn the jar occasionally to keep the citrus coated.
As I use the preserved lemons, should I keep adding more salt to keep the remaining lemons fully covered?
You shouldn’t need to.
Some suggest that you rinse them before using them. Also, do you find that the pith is bitter to taste. I find that it is in lemons. I have a jar of oranges that I did two months ago that I am going to try to use on chicken, but I don’t know if I am to rinse them or not. Mine was done in slices. My plan is to push a slice under the skin of some chicken quarters.
thanks,
Pat
You can rinse them if you’re using in a recipe where they might be too salty.
Hi there! I’m excited to try this. I have a question about the level of freshness of the fruit that can be used. I discovered some getting kinda shriveled oranges in my crisper. Can I preserve them? Or do these need to be juicy, fresh fruit? Thanks so much!
I haven’t tried this, but my guess is it should work.
add some sugar + ice cubes + sparkling water to make a refreshing drink in hot summer days
Ah, that’s a fun idea!
My favourite is salted Meyer lemon. The peels are much thinner and they have a sweet and sour flavour. Yum.
At what point can u tighten the lid for storage? Ie, how long must the lid be kept loose for the fermentation process? Thanks
These will not ferment and bubble as some do. You can tighten the lid right away.
What a fun idea! I have an abundance of apricots and I was looking for interesting ways to preserve them. I may try this.
I like to chop these into pasta salad.
This is GREAT! I don’t have citrus trees, but when the citrus is on sale, I can now buy with reckless abandon. Lol! We cook with citrus all the time. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Do you use the peels or just the fruit?
The peels, too, unless you don’t like them.
In India we pickle lemons this way. Red chilli pwd ,ginger,n Garam masala( a combination of hot spices) r added to it.It is served with food.
You can purchase plastic lids for your canning jars. This solves the rusting issue.
Kris, I love this. I have had two failed attempts at preserving lemons. In both cases the fruit started molding at the top of the liquid. Now I see my problem. I was trying to do it like pickles and I didn’t have enough salt. Yay! I think I can do this now. Thanks so much. Shared!
I was pretty blown away with HOW well preserved these end up!
Pickled lemons, introduced in Morocco, I believe, have been around for ages.
I have been living in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians preserved lemons : )
This is very interesting and applicable to me since we live in SoCal and it’s citrus time! Thanks for posting it. How do you know when it’s done curing? Do you need to set it out in the sun, or can you just wait until the salt and citrus juice incorporates and it looks like your final picture?
Well, two years is certainly not necessary! I’d give it a month or two. And no need to set out in sun – I’ve stored mine in a cupboard.
Aloha!
May I use plastic jar for it?
yes.
What can you make with salted citrus?
I would imagine any of the things listed under “How to use your salted citrus” in the article would be excellent places to start/
We’ve used salt-preserved lemons in stews, and it’s really good steamed with rice. I also like to use the salt while cooking. Great article!
doubtful you could use it for anything really.
I cook with preserved lemons and oranges regularly. They add a wonderful, floral essence to savory dishes.
I adore lemons preserved this way. They are great when you have a sore throat. I just eat them.
Oh, now there’s a use I hadn’t thought of! Thanks!