I once spent a memorable day in Morocco while on a cruise, and someday I absolutely want to explore the whole country (and maybe visit the fabulous Maryam as well.) For now though, Moroccan food is probably as close as I'm going to get. If you're not that familiar with the cuisine of Morocco, learning about preserved lemons is a good place to start.

Moroccan preserved lemons are actually skin-on lemons that have been pickled in salt and lemon juice. Most recipes suggest letting the lemons sit in the salt/lemon juice mixture for several weeks before using them, although there are a few quicker methods. Once the lemons are ready, it's the peel of the preserved lemons that's used in Moroccan cooking, often added to the type of Moroccan stew called a Tajine. You can buy preserved lemons online, or at a good import market, but plenty of food bloggers have written about how easy they are to make at home.

The jar of preserved lemons in the photo were made by Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska, and you can also find a recipe for preserved lemons as well as candied lemon peel at that link.

There are great step-by-step instructions for making preserved lemons at Simply Recipes. These lemons take about three weeks to be ready to use.

Sam from Becks and Posh makes a huge jar of preserved lemons after a friend gives her Meyer lemons, and her recipe adds cinnamon, coriander seed, peppercorns, and a bay leaf with the lemons and salt.

Another expert at the traditional method of making preserved lemons is Lydia from The Perfect Pantry. If you're too impatient to wait weeks for the lemons to be ready, Lydia also has a link to a recipe for five-day preserved lemons.

Sarah from I Like to Cook also tries a quicker method, and her post on Preserved Lemons includes two ways of making them.

Blogger and cookbook author David Lebovitz makes preserved lemons in his apartment in Paris, and shares some ideas of how to use them.

Finally, at More Than Burnt Toast, Val adds a few extra spicy ingredients to her version of Preserved Lemons.

Once you have your supply of preserved lemons, here are some ideas for using them:

Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons from The Perfect Pantry.
Moroccan Salmon with Fennel and Preserved Lemon Salad from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
Cous Cous with Preserved Lemon from Blog From Our Kitchen
Chicken Tajine with Preserved Lemons from The Well Seasoned Cook
Mediterranean Sea Bass with Preserved Citrus from Redacted Recipes
Brined Roasted Chicken with Preserved Lemons from More Than Burnt Toast
Chicken with Cardomom and Preserved Lemons from Gastronomy Domine
Moroccan Chicken with Lemons and Olives from The Rice and Spice Cupboard
Tagine of Chicken and Lemon from Vanilla Garlic

BlogHer Food Editor Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen. She remembered the tastes of Morocco when she made Chicken with Roasted Lemon, Green Olives, and Capers.