The One Ingredient That Makes Roasted Potatoes 100x Better (I Keep a Jar in My Pantry at All Times)
Many years ago, I discovered preserved lemons in the kitchen of a family friend and gifted home cook. Glass jars of these cured lemons lined her refrigerator shelves, like a reservoir of suns waiting to shine on her cooking — and shine they did. Thanks to the pickled lemons’ brininess and brightness, her braises, soups, potatoes, and salads sang.
Eager to anoint my own cooking with their salty tang, I asked her how to DIY what she told me was a Moroccan pantry staple. Although the process was simple, she said, it took lots of time. After scrubbing and cutting lemons and packing them with kosher salt and sugar in Mason jars, she’d let the mixture cure for several months.
Since I wanted some to cook with that night, I found preserved lemons at a local international grocery store. Although my cooking benefited, I still needed to do a bit of work: rinse, deseed, and puree the lemons before using them. That’s why I perked up when my dear friend, a former food editor, brought me a jar of New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Paste. “You will love it,” she raved, praising its velvety consistency, intense aroma, and salty citrus flavor. She was right.
What’s So Great About New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Paste?
Unlike with preserved lemons, you can use the paste straight out of the jar — no rinsing, deseeding, or pureeing required. New York Shuk consists of only three ingredients (lemons, lemon juice, and sea salt), so it tastes homemade. Plus, you glean all that lemon flavor from the rinds without contending with the bitterness that afflicts the zest in its raw form.
What’s the Best Way to Use New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Paste?
My favorite way to wield this culinary gold is with potatoes. After roasting small spuds until golden brown, I toss them while they’re still warm with a vinaigrette containing the paste, olive oil, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Then, right before serving, I stir in some finely chopped fresh parsley. The result is flavor-packed and magical.
New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Paste
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But I don’t stop with potatoes. I also whisk the paste into vinaigrettes and pan sauces and stir it into mayonnaise, hummus (including some really good store-bought stuff), tzatziki, and bean soups. Sometimes, I combine it with yogurt, honey, and spices for dips and meat marinades (the lemon cuts lamb’s gaminess). For an elegant dinner, I’ll make a compound butter with the paste and let it melt over just-cooked fish. Or I’ll toss warm pasta with the paste, butter, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and black pepper.
Think of this preserved lemon paste as a potent flavor enhancer akin to tomato or anchovy paste. Basically, the options are endless. Wherever you’d use citrus, try this special sauce.
Buy: New York Shuk Preserved Lemon Paste, $11.49 for 10 ounces at Instacart
What’s your go-to flavor-boosting pantry staple? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Further Reading
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