Recipe BookKitchen FoundationsPickles & Preserves

Elevated Moroccan Pickled Raisins

Name: Elevated Moroccan Pickled Raisins
Yield: For 40 people
Ingredients: 500 g Golden raisins; 250 g Dark raisins; 500 ml White grape vinegar; 250 ml Water; 120 g Honey or palm sugar; of 2 oranges Orange zest; of 1 lemon Lemon zest; 2 each Cinnamon sticks; 1 tbsp Coriander seed; 2 tsp Cumin seed; 4 each Cloves; 1 each Star anise; 0.5 tsp Black peppercorns; 2 each Preserved lemon peel, strips; 2 each Bay leaves; a small pinch Saffron; a tiny pinch Chilli flakes

Golden and dark raisins steeped in a spiced citrus pickle.

Sweet, sharp, spiced and perfumed. They exist to cut through richness, and they bring the contrast a Moroccan plate wants: sweet, acid, spice and perfume together.

For 40 people

Cook this

The heat goes off before the raisins go in. They steep and hydrate slowly rather than cooking, which is what keeps them plump rather than mushy.
Chef Paul Dukai

Ingredients

The raisins and the pickle

Golden raisins500 g
Dark raisins250 g
White grape vinegar500 ml
Water250 ml
Honey or palm sugar120 g
Orange zestof 2 oranges
Lemon zestof 1 lemon

Whole spices, lightly toasted

Cinnamon sticks2 each
Coriander seed1 tbsp
Cumin seed2 tsp
Cloves4 each
Star anise1 each
Black peppercorns0.5 tsp

Aromatics

Preserved lemon peel, strips2 each
Bay leaves2 each
Saffrona small pinch
Chilli flakesa tiny pinch

Method

Toast the whole spices until they are fragrant only. Do not burn them.
Combine the vinegar, water, honey, citrus zest, spices and aromatics and bring gently to a simmer.
Turn off the heat, add the raisins, and cover.
Allow them to steep and hydrate slowly. They are best after 12 hours and excellent after 24.
The raisins should come out plump, glossy and intensely aromatic. The texture to aim at is soft, juicy and slightly sticky, never mushy.

Chef’s notes

Where they earn their place: lamb shoulder, kofta, saffron rice, roasted carrots, baba ghanoush, couscous and yoghurt dishes.

Keeping

The 12 to 24 hours of steeping is how they are made rather than how they are kept. DUKAI storage guidance for afterwards: keep them submerged in their pickling liquid at 5°C or below. The vinegar and sugar do the preserving and they hold for several weeks, improving for the first week. Use a clean spoon each time.

Allergens and diet

Sulphites, from the vinegar.

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Last refined · September 2026