Moroccan Shakshuka
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1large red bell pepper
- 2tablespoons grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½cups finely diced red onion
- 2tablespoons minced garlic
- 6cups diced canned tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- 1cup carrot juice
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
- ¾teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼teaspoon ground white pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- 2½tablespoons minced preserved lemon
- 1tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1tablespoon chopped cilantro, plus tender sprigs for garnish
- 6large egg yolks, at room temperature
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- 2teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground white pepper
- ⅛teaspoon cayenne
- ¼cup finely diced red onion
- 1tablespoon minced parsley
- 1tablespoon minced cilantro
- 1teaspoon minced garlic
- 8ounces ground beef (80 percent lean)
- 8ounces ground lamb
- 1large egg, beaten
For the Tomato Sauce
For the Kefta
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the sauce: Over an open flame on the stove top or under the broiler, roast the red pepper until skin is black and blistered all over, 8 to 12 minutes, turning the pepper as needed. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Uncover and rub the skin off, then seed and finely chop the pepper.
- Step 2
In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onion and cook until starting to brown, 7 to 12 minutes. Stir in garlic and roasted red pepper, and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in tomatoes, carrot juice, thyme, salt, paprika, cumin, white pepper, cayenne and ¼ cup water, and bring to a simmer. Simmer over medium-low heat until mixture is reduced by a third, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
- Step 4
While the sauce simmers, make the kefta: Drizzle olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and turn on your broiler.
- Step 5
In a large bowl, mix the salt, paprika, cumin, white pepper, cayenne, red onion, parsley, cilantro and garlic. Mix in the beef, lamb and beaten egg just to combine, then scoop out 1½-inch balls, transferring to prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls slightly, then broil without turning until well browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 6
When ready to serve, stir the preserved lemon, parsley and cilantro into the sauce and bring to a simmer. Arrange kefta in sauce along the outer edges of the skillet, leaving room for the egg yolks in the middle. Simmer kefta balls in sauce until they are cooked through and the sauce has reduced a little more, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Step 7
Slip yolks into the center of the pan, cover pan and heat gently until yolks are warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro sprigs.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Suzanne F
If I don't have a juicer, can I use grated carrots instead? And if so, how much?
Michael Edwards
The type of oil doesn't matter. The carrot details don't matter either. Just cook it, and don't sweat about the details. It's really good. (For the record, I used olive oil and finely diced carrots. And only lamb, no beef.)
Kathy Sublett
To be honest, I made only the kefta, not the delicious sounding sauce (next time). This is by far the best recipe for kefta I have found. I doubled the amount of parsley and cilantro, and used 1 tsp. sweet paprika and 1 tsp. hot smoked paprika. Then I made it into four patties (I'll probably make six next time) and grilled it over a hot charcoal fire. We served it with a yogurt and cucumber salad and pita.
A nice rose wine added the finishing touch.
Stu
Grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil? I have both. They're entirely different. The grapeseed oil has virtually no flavor. Extra-virgin olive oil, if it's the "good stuff", has loads of flavor. I'll presume that a cheap, pedestrian-quality extra-virgin olive oil is the way to go. Otherwise, it seems that the critical thing is the timing of the addition of the yolks. Hard cooked yolks would destroy the whole experience.
Skouria
I lived in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer for more than two years and ate many dishes in many households. I never knew a cook to use grapeseed oil and I am guessing no one with whom I was acquainted would have known what it was....so I would not sweat this detail.
Jim Eskridge
Very different in the way these two oils take heat (or not) as well. Given that the oils is heated over "Medium-high heat," the choice should be grapeseed oil.
Regina
Served this a week ago for brunch to friends....made the tomato sauce and froze it, then defrosted it. Made up the kefta the night before and added it to the sauce the next morning. Because my guests did not eat lamb, made the kefta with dark meat ground chicken. Instead of cayenne used a harrisa paste from Trader Joes. I used an extra virgin Tunisian Olive oil. The results were wonderful and worth the effort. Would make it again!
Mic
This is a delicious Shakshuka variation. It does take at least two hours but is a fun dish for cooks who like to tend the pot. So it's not something for breakfast you'll whip up over your first cup of coffee. Realizing that, I made the sauce the night before. And next time may even prep the meatballs in advance. The sauce will reduce at each step. So in Step 3, don't worry if it looks too thin. My wife loves spicy sauce, hates runny poached eggs. I scrambled one for her on the side. Score!
JohnB
Supermarket pizza dough flattened into discs, brushed with olive oil and sea salt, and baked at high heat, makes delicious hot pita to accompany this recipe. Or homemade hummus, baba ghanoush, etc. I keep it on hand for quickie mid-week dinners.
Tricia
I just used an extra cup of tomatoes and it was delicious.
Jutta
The Kefta are definitely the star of this dish and often stand alone as someone noted. I don't care for preserved lemon (they taste like furniture polish to me) and so I didn't invest in a jar. It was still delicious but maybe next time I'll sauté some lemon rind in olive oil with a few pinches of salt and sugar (a substitute I read about after making this dish) to see what I was missing. I easily found carrot juice in my produce section but I'll try the grated carrots.
Bonnie
I don't see why not...it may change the texture a bit, but i doubt that many Moroccans have juicers....at least they didn't when I lived there....and there are many versions of this in almost every Middle Eastern country....each is a bit different....so make it your own way...:)
Laura
The description under the title and above the recipe says "Serve this with flatbread for brunch, lunch or dinner."
devona
Question: Could the meatballs be made with chicken or turkey? My husband and I both have Alpha-Gal Syndrome — no mammalian meat!! If not lays eggs, we can eat it! .
George J
Made this with about four cups of tomatoes instead of six. Added significantly more spices and then it turned out great!
lemon
Less preserved lemon, try 1.5 tablespoons
Dave
Served with a flat bread? Best served with a traditional Moroccan round loaf, as Moroccans would eat it, as they used to eat practically everything “tajine”. In Morocco one would buy the kifta ready made, the tomato sauce might not be highly spiced, and even the kifta might be omitted: bed u matiža, a simple quick meal.
JohnA
added a little nutmeg and ginger and coriander to the meatballs. really tasted good!!
JudiM
We enjoyed this dish. I made a half-recipe with minimal changes: about 1/3 cup of Mina mild harissa sauce in place of the pepper and all-lamb in the kefta. We scooped up the sauce with crusty bread.
Mic
This is a delicious Shakshuka variation. It does take at least two hours but is a fun dish for cooks who like to tend the pot. So it's not something for breakfast you'll whip up over your first cup of coffee. Realizing that, I made the sauce the night before. And next time may even prep the meatballs in advance. The sauce will reduce at each step. So in Step 3, don't worry if it looks too thin. My wife loves spicy sauce, hates runny poached eggs. I scrambled one for her on the side. Score!
TM
Nargisse Benkabbou’s NYT kefta recipe is moister than the one here. Maybe sub it next time?
Victoria
This was great. I added some powdered rose harissa from New York Shuk to both the kefta and the sauce, and it turned out fabulously. I also used olive oil and butter; yes, grapeseed oil fares better over high heat, but imo olive oil has a more authentic flavor.
Christopher G
Added an extra cup of tomatoes, a tablespoon or so of Harissa, and topped with a bit of sheep’s milk feta. Came out fantastic!
Caramella
Well worth the effort. In order to serve this for brunch I also prepped ahead: made the sauce and browned the meatballs the night before. It comes together quickly while you’re toasting the pita the next day. I did have preserved lemon, but for leftovers I added a couple of minced castelvetrano olives on top and that worked great, too. If you’re ever in SF, Mourad has been one of my favorite meals to date!
judy sessler
Add some harissa and Turkish pepper
Jutta
The Kefta are definitely the star of this dish and often stand alone as someone noted. I don't care for preserved lemon (they taste like furniture polish to me) and so I didn't invest in a jar. It was still delicious but maybe next time I'll sauté some lemon rind in olive oil with a few pinches of salt and sugar (a substitute I read about after making this dish) to see what I was missing. I easily found carrot juice in my produce section but I'll try the grated carrots.
JohnB
Supermarket pizza dough flattened into discs, brushed with olive oil and sea salt, and baked at high heat, makes delicious hot pita to accompany this recipe. Or homemade hummus, baba ghanoush, etc. I keep it on hand for quickie mid-week dinners.
Regina
Served this a week ago for brunch to friends....made the tomato sauce and froze it, then defrosted it. Made up the kefta the night before and added it to the sauce the next morning. Because my guests did not eat lamb, made the kefta with dark meat ground chicken. Instead of cayenne used a harrisa paste from Trader Joes. I used an extra virgin Tunisian Olive oil. The results were wonderful and worth the effort. Would make it again!
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