Tunisian spiced lamb and beef sausages simmered in fiery tomato pepper sauce — a North African brunch icon.
Merguez are Tunisia's great gift to the world's barbecues — slender, deeply spiced lamb and beef sausages coloured deep red with harissa and paprika, fragrant with cumin, coriander and fennel. In Tunisia, they are often served not grilled but simmered directly in a shakshuka-style sauce of tomatoes, peppers and harissa, with eggs poached directly in the sauce. This combination of merguez and egg in tomato sauce is one of the most satisfying dishes in Tunisian home cooking.
Serves 4
Mix lamb mince, beef mince, 1 tbsp harissa, cumin, coriander, paprika, fennel seeds, garlic and salt. Shape into small sausage shapes by hand. Refrigerate 20 minutes to firm up.
Heat oil in a wide pan. Brown merguez on all sides over medium-high heat, 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, fry onion and peppers until soft, 8 minutes. Add remaining harissa and tomato purée. Cook 2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
Return browned merguez to the pan. Simmer in the sauce 10 minutes until cooked through.
Make 4 wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each well. Cover and cook 5–6 minutes until whites are set but yolks still runny. Serve directly from the pan with crusty bread.
Refrigerating the shaped merguez before cooking helps them hold their shape.
The merguez mixture can be made a day ahead and refrigerated — the spices bloom further overnight.
If you want to grill the merguez instead, shape them around skewers and grill on high heat.
Thread merguez onto skewers and grill over charcoal for the classic outdoor version.
Omit the eggs and serve the merguez in tomato sauce on a crusty baguette as a sandwich.
Uncooked merguez keep in the fridge for 2 days or freeze for 3 months. Cooked dish: 3 days.
Merguez originated in the Maghreb — with competing claims from Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco — and spread to France through the North African diaspora, where they became the essential sausage of every French barbecue. The word may derive from the Berber 'amergaz' meaning sausage.
Yes — shape them by hand into small cigar shapes or press into patties. The flavour is identical; only the shape differs. Refrigerating before cooking helps them hold together.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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