Lamb Tagine with Preserved Lemon — Lahlou-Inspired

About This Recipe

This dish is inspired by Chef Mourad Lahlou's modern Moroccan cooking at Aziza and Mourad in San Francisco — the first Moroccan restaurant in America to earn a Michelin star. Lahlou's approach has been to take Moroccan home dishes like tagines and treat them with fine-dining rigour without losing their soul. This lamb tagine pairs slow-braised shoulder with the holy trinity of Moroccan flavours — preserved lemon, green olives and saffron — finished with abundant fresh herbs. It's based on the Marrakshi tradition Lahlou grew up with, refined for the home cook.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.5 kglamb shoulder(boneless, cut into 5cm chunks)
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 2large onions(thinly sliced)
• 6 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbspfresh ginger(grated)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 0.5 tspground white pepper
• 1 pinchsaffron threads(bloomed in 2 tbsp warm water)
• 500 mlchicken stock
• 1 canchickpeas(drained, 400g)
• 2preserved lemons(rind only, finely chopped)
• 150 gMoroccan green olives(or Picholine olives, pitted)
• 2 tbspfresh coriander(chopped)
• 2 tbspfresh flat-leaf parsley(chopped)
• salt and pepper(to taste)
• 300 gcouscous(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the lamb

   Pat the lamb completely dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven or tagine over high heat. Brown the lamb in batches — 2 minutes per side until deeply seared. Transfer to a plate. Don't rush this — the fond is the foundation of flavour.

   Drying the meat is the single most important step for a proper sear.

2. 2

   Build the spice base

   Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and cook the onions for 8 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and white pepper. Cook 60 seconds — the spices should bloom and become deeply fragrant.

   Toasting whole spices like cumin in a dry pan first and grinding fresh gives even more depth.

3. 3

   Braise slowly

   Return the lamb and any juices to the pot. Add the saffron with its soaking water, the stock and chickpeas. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and reduce heat to LOW. Cook for 90 minutes, stirring once or twice.

4. 4

   Add preserved lemon and olives

   Stir in the preserved lemon rind and olives. Continue cooking uncovered for another 30–40 minutes until the lamb is meltingly tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste — preserved lemon is salty, so adjust seasoning carefully.

5. 5

   Cook the couscous

   While the tagine finishes, prepare the couscous: pour boiling water (or stock) over the couscous in a 1:1 ratio with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Cover for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

6. 6

   Plate and serve

   Pile the couscous onto warm plates. Spoon the lamb tagine over the top with plenty of sauce. Scatter fresh coriander and parsley generously. Serve with warm Moroccan flatbread (khobz) if you have it.

Variations

• •

  Chicken Tagine: substitute chicken thighs for lamb — reduce cooking time to 50 minutes.

• •

  Lamb with Prunes & Apricots (mrouzia): substitute the olives and lemon with 200g pitted prunes, 100g dried apricots and 2 tablespoons honey for a sweet-savoury version.

• •

  Tagine with Seven Vegetables: replace half the lamb with chunks of carrot, turnip, courgette, butternut squash, sweet potato, fennel and tomato.

Storage

Improves with age — keep refrigerated for up to 4 days. Freezes excellently for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions