Moroccan cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Merguez

Spicy lamb and beef sausages with harissa, garlic and cumin, grilled crisp over the embers.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 500 g ground lamb (coarsely ground)
• 300 g ground beef
• 2 tbsp harissa
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 m sheep casing (22 mm caliber)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Soak the sheep casing in lukewarm water for 30 minutes and flush thoroughly; finely crush the cumin, coriander seeds and fennel seeds in a mortar.
2. Knead both ground meats vigorously for 3 minutes with the harissa, both paprikas, grated garlic, the crushed spices and the salt, until the mixture becomes tacky.
3. Chill the mixture for 20 minutes, then fry a small test patty and adjust the seasoning – salt and heat are hard to judge when raw.
4. Slide the casing onto the stuffing tube, fill loosely with the mixture and twist the links every 12 cm, alternating the twist direction from sausage to sausage.
5. Prick the sausages several times with a fine needle and let them air-dry uncovered in the fridge for 30 minutes so the skin doesn't burst on the grill.
6. Brush with olive oil and grill over medium embers for 10–12 minutes, turning several times, until browned all over and cooked through.