Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

I’m always looking for new ways to use my stash of preserved lemons, and this preserved lemon vinaigrette is perhaps the best one. Light and lemony, it’s just the right balance of acidity and sweetness. Adding the olive oil slowly while blending makes the vinaigrette rather thick and creamy, almost like a caesar dressing.

Ready in minutes, a good lemon dressing is excellent year-round with greens (try it in kale or chard salad), grain salads, and used as the dressing for dishes like lentil salad. This is an all-season version of my strawberry vinaigrette and it’s just as flexible.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Preserved lemon: this can be homemade or store-bought. Note that if you plan on making your own, they’ll need a little over a week before they’re ready to use.
• Lemons: fresh lemon juice will taste better than jarred, but it can be used in a pinch.
• Honey: substitute maple syrup for a fully vegan option.
• Garlic: omit if you are particularly sensitive to raw alliums. There isn’t a significant garlic taste in the final product.
• Add-ins: try adding minced fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley, and even dill once the vinaigrette is blended. A minced shallot is good too.

Step by Step

Step 1: add everything but the olive oil to a mixing container or small food processor.

Step 2: blend until smooth, making sure the garlic has been mixed in.

Step 3: add the olive oil in a slow stream while blending.

Step 4: mix until smooth and thick. The oil should be emulsified.

Recipe Notes

If you’d like to have some texture, mince another 1/4 preserved lemon peel (not the flesh) and add it to the dressing after mixing. This is particularly good if you also plan on adding shallot and herbs.

As is, the vinaigrette is quite mild and doesn’t have that strong salty sharpness so characteristic to preserved lemon. It is very pleasant but if you want more of that distinctive flavour, add some extra rind as mentioned above.

How to Store

Storage: refrigerate for up to two weeks. The olive oil will probably cause the vinaigrette to harden when chilled, but it will liquify again when left at room temperature for about half an hour.

Freezing: while this can be frozen, it does separate when thawed. Freeze for up to three months and thaw in the refrigerator, then give it another blend to reincorporate the oil.

Expert Tips

• Rinse the lemon: preserved lemons are very salty and I find it to be a bit too much if the lemon isn’t rinsed. This removes the excess salt from the outside.
• Don’t add salt: it will be salty enough without adding extra, all coming from the preserved lemon.
• Use a good olive oil: this recipe uses quite a lot of olive oil and you will taste it, so I recommend an extra virgin type that you like.
• Make it without a mixer: if you don’t have an immersion blender (I highly recommend them) or small enough mixer, make this by hand: very finely mince the preserved lemon and grate the garlic, then mix everything with a whisk. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until combined. It takes some time.

More Lemon Recipes

Fresh Mint Lemonade
Honey Lemon Ice Cream
Lemon Pancakes
Honey Lemon Curd