Merguez with Shakshuka Sauce

About This Recipe

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.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 glamb mince
• 200 gbeef mince
• 2 tbspharissa paste
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 0.5 tspfennel seeds(crushed)
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 largeonion(diced)
• 2red peppers(diced)
• 400 gcanned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsptomato purée
• 4eggs

Instructions

1. 1

   Make merguez

   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.

2. 2

   Brown merguez

   Heat oil in a wide pan. Brown merguez on all sides over medium-high heat, 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. 3

   Make sauce

   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.

4. 4

   Return merguez

   Return browned merguez to the pan. Simmer in the sauce 10 minutes until cooked through.

5. 5

   Poach eggs

   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.

Variations

• •

  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.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Uncooked merguez keep in the fridge for 2 days or freeze for 3 months. Cooked dish: 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions