Preserved Lemon “Pesto” Pasta

Intense lemon and fresh herbs come together in perfect harmony for a summery pasta. This is the most flavorful lemony pasta ever. Preserved lemons are a thing of beauty, posted below is a recipe, but you can also buy them in specialty stores.

½ of a preserved lemon

½ cup of basil

¼ tsp salt

4 garlic cloves

½ cup of hot melted butter (or olive oil)

1 box (roughly 17 oz) linguine pasta, cooked and drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 green onions, sliced

Basil, garlic flowers or rosemary for a garnish 

Cook linguine or your choice of pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm. Place preserved lemon wedges, basil, salt and garlic in a blender. Pulse until roughly chopped; pour melted butter or olive oil in the top and blend until smooth. Toss with hot pasta and top with the cherry tomatoes, green onions and herbs of choice. Add up to ½ a cup more of the melted butter or olive oil to your desired coating/sauce of pasta.

Preserved Lemons

Lemons and salt are magic here. Preserved lemons are ridiculously good with so many things.  Terrific with fish sauces, marinated with chicken or turned into a “pesto” for pasta and risotto, a smidge added to salad dressings. 

½ cup of salt

1 cup of lemon juice

7-10 lemons, quartered

Pour salt and 1 cup of lemon juice in a quart jar (I like to microwave 1 minute to help dissolve the salt a bit more). Press 7-10 quartered lemons inside the jar stirring up salty juices with each layer. Refrigerate for 2 weeks shaking occasionally to mix in the salts. They will be soft when ready like a marmalade.