Instant Lemon Pickle Recipe
Quick to make, sharp and spicy. This is the perfect side for most Indian curries. Replace the lemon with limes to easily make lime pickle.
*Post update January 2025
Instant lemon pickle - Top tip!
The recipe is from the book Jamie's 30 Minute Meals and he serves this pickle with Vegetable Rogan Josh.
Now, Jamie says to add the lemon to the pan and count to 10, and then he says it's done.
However, my advice is to cook it for a minute or two, otherwise the lemon rind will still be quite hard. 😉
Did you know?
Lemons are a great source of vitamin C and fibre. Lemons contain many plant compounds, minerals, and essential oils.
You will need
- Vegetable oil
- Lemon (or lime), see note in the recipe card
- Black or brown mustard seeds
- Fresh red chilli
- Dried red chilli
- Salt
Gather the ingredients
Prepare the ingredients
Add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to the pan, along with the mustard seeds, turmeric, and sliced chilli.
Crumble in the dried chilli.
When everything starts to sizzle, add the sliced lemon and a big pinch of salt and count to ten.
I say to cook for a minute or 2; otherwise, the lemon rind will still be hard and taste horrid.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool before serving.
You can serve this with pretty much any Indian curry.
I also recommend you make Jamie Oliver's Bombay Potatoes, as they are seriously good.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

Lemon Pickle - Jamie Oliver
Quick, sharp and spicy pickle, perfect for Indian curries.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 1 large unwaxed lemon - sliced thinly and each slice cut into 8 (or 3 limes)
- 2 teaspoons black or brown mustard seeds
- 1 level teaspoon of turmeric
- ¼ of a fresh red chilli - deseeded (unless you're up for some heat) and sliced thinly
- 1 small dried red chilli
- a big pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients and put a frying pan on medium to high heat.
- Add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to the pan, along with the mustard seeds, turmeric, and sliced chilli. Crumble in the dried chilli.
- When everything starts to sizzle, add the sliced lemon and a big pinch of salt and count to ten. I say to cook for a minute or 2; otherwise, the lemon rind will still be hard and taste horrid.
- Take it off the heat and put it in a bowl to cool before serving.
Notes
If you can't get an unwaxed lemon, be sure to wash it in hot water and dry it before using.
You can replace the large lemon with 3 limes to make a lime pickle.
Gorgeous! I will definitely try this!
ReplyDeleteIt literally took me 29 minutes from start to finish. lol
ReplyDeleteMade this and it's really delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteCan you substitute limes for this?
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsay - yes I can't see why not - please let me know if it turns out okay.
ReplyDelete