Tunisian Ojja with Eggs and Merguez

About This Recipe

Ojja is one of Tunisia's most beloved comfort dishes, eggs gently poached in a bubbling, richly spiced tomato and bell pepper sauce loaded with harissa and often studded with sliced merguez sausage, giving the dish a hearty, protein-forward character beyond a simple vegetable shakshuka. The sauce base is built slowly, cooking down peppers and tomatoes until they thicken into a deep, harissa-red sauce before the merguez goes in to render its spiced lamb fat directly into the mixture. The technique that matters most is building the sauce properly before adding eggs — cooking the peppers, tomatoes and harissa down until genuinely thick, since eggs added to a thin, watery sauce won't poach properly and the dish loses its characteristic rich texture. Merguez, a distinctly North African lamb sausage seasoned with harissa and fennel, contributes both spice and richness as it cooks alongside the vegetables. Served straight from the pan with plenty of crusty bread for scooping, ojja reflects Tunisia's love of bold, harissa-forward, communal-style eating, a dish enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on the household.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gmerguez sausage(sliced)
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 2bell peppers(diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspharissa
• 500 gcrushed tomatoes
• 1 tspground caraway
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 6eggs
• 0.25 cupfresh parsley(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the merguez

   Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook merguez slices 5-6 minutes until browned and rendered. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Cook the vegetables

   In the same pan, cook onion and peppers until softened, about 10 minutes, then add garlic and harissa, cooking 1 minute more.

3. 3

   Build the sauce

   Add crushed tomatoes, caraway and salt. Simmer 12-15 minutes until thickened.

   The sauce needs to genuinely thicken before the eggs go in, or they won't poach properly and the dish stays watery.

4. 4

   Return the merguez

   Stir the cooked merguez back into the sauce.

5. 5

   Add the eggs

   Make wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook 5-7 minutes until whites are set but yolks are still runny.

6. 6

   Serve

   Scatter with parsley and serve straight from the pan with crusty bread.

Variations

• •

  Skip the merguez for a vegetarian version, relying on the peppers and harissa for flavor.

• •

  Add sliced potato, pre-cooked, for a heartier, more substantial dish.

• •

  Adjust the harissa to taste — some versions are noticeably spicier than others.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days; the eggs won't hold up as well as the sauce base. Reheat the sauce gently and consider adding fresh eggs when reheating for the best texture.

Frequently Asked Questions