Merguez Maison

About This Recipe

Merguez is one of North Africa's greatest contributions to world food — a fiery, intensely flavored lamb sausage that has spread throughout France (via Algerian immigrants) and now appears in butcher shops and barbecues worldwide. Tunisia claims merguez as its own and Tunisian versions tend to be the spiciest, with a high ratio of harissa giving the sausage its characteristic brick-red color and ferocious heat. Making merguez at home is deeply satisfying: the grinding, seasoning, and stuffing process gives total control over the spice level and quality of meat.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gground lamb
• 200 gground beef
• 3 tbspharissa
• 2 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1/2 tspfennel seeds(crushed)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 mlamb casings(soaked in water)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the meat

   Combine all meats with harissa, spices, garlic, and salt. Mix thoroughly by hand until well combined. Chill 1 hour.

2. 2

   Stuff the casings

   Thread soaked casings onto a sausage funnel. Fill with meat mixture. Twist into 15cm links.

3. 3

   Grill or pan-fry

   Grill or pan-fry over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes, turning regularly, until cooked through and starting to split.

Variations

• •

  Make without casings as free-form patties

• •

  Add smen (aged butter) for deeper flavor

Storage

Raw merguez keep 2 days refrigerated or freeze up to 3 months. Cooked merguez keep 2 days.

Frequently Asked Questions