Delicious Tagine Recipes For Your Next Culinary Adventure

Tagine is a North African stew named after the clay pot in which it is cooked. The word tagine refers to both the conical-shaped dish and the food cooked inside it. It is usually a blend of sweet and savoury flavours, with meat, vegetables, and fruit. Tagines are typically slow-cooked, and the pot does most of the work. The dish is versatile, and almost any protein can be used. Common recipes include chicken, lamb, beef, and fish tagines, often served with couscous.

Lamb tagine with dried fruit, honey and spices

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• Butter
• Slivered almonds
• Red onions
• Garlic
• Ginger paste
• Saffron
• Cinnamon sticks
• Coriander seeds
• Cubed lamb shoulder or leg
• Dried apricots and dates (or any dried fruit of your choice)
• Orange peel or zest
• Honey
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

• Heat olive oil and butter in the tagine or Dutch oven. Add the almonds and toast for about 5 minutes.
• Add the diced onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, and cook on low heat until golden brown.
• Stir in the ginger paste, saffron, cinnamon sticks, and coriander.
• Add the cubed lamb and stir until the meat is coated in the spices, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
• Add enough water to cover the meat, increase the heat, and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about an hour, or until the meat is tender.
• Uncover and add the dried fruit, orange peel/zest, and honey. Stir, cover, and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. If the sauce is too watery, let it simmer uncovered until it thickens. If it's too thick, add a bit more water.
• Serve with couscous or crusty bread on the side, and enjoy!

This dish is perfect for a chilly day and can be made ahead of time, as the flavours develop and intensify over time.

Chicken tagine with herbs and olives

Ingredients:

• 5-8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4-1 teaspoon of saffron threads, pulverised
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 chicken (cut into 8-10 pieces) or 4-6 chicken thighs (skin on and bone in)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 medium onions, sliced thinly
• 8 pitted and halved olives (a mix of Kalamata and green)
• 1 large or 3 small preserved lemons (sliced thinly)
• 1 tablespoon of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Optional:

• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 tablespoon of cilantro, minced
• 5-6 strands of saffron (optional), bloomed with an ice cube for 15 minutes
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method:

• Mix garlic, saffron, ginger, paprika, cumin, and turmeric together. If not using kosher chicken, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add pepper to taste.
• Rub the chicken with the mixture, cover, and refrigerate to marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet or tagine. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add onions to the skillet or tagine and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Transfer the chicken onto the bed of onions. Scatter with olives.
• Quarter the lemons, remove the pulp, and cut the skin into strips. Scatter over the chicken.
• Mix stock and lemon juice. Pour over the chicken.
• Cover the skillet or tagine and place over low heat. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Scatter parsley on top and serve.

Tips:

• You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Note that they will likely take less time to cook, so be sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer after 30 minutes to make sure they don’t overcook.
• If you don't have saffron, double the amount of turmeric used to add colour.
• This is traditionally served on its own, but you can always add rice or bread if you'd like something to soak up the sauce.

Vegetable tagine with apricots

Tagines are slow-cooked meals that are easy to make and require very little work from the cook. The name refers to both the clay pot in which the dish is cooked and the food cooked inside it. Tagines are usually a blend of sweet and savoury flavours.

Ingredients:

• Coconut or olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ butternut squash, chopped into large chunks
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• Vegetable stock
• Ground cinnamon
• Coriander, chopped
• Mint, chopped
• Pomegranate seeds (optional)
• Dried apricots, chopped
• Flaked almonds, toasted
• Preserved lemon, finely chopped, plus liquid from the jar

Method:

Heat oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and butternut squash, and cook for another 7 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and continue to fry for 3 minutes before adding the chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock, along with the spices and seasoning. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

Meanwhile, prepare the apricot quinoa by bringing water to a simmer in a small saucepan and adding the quinoa. Cook for 20 minutes, then stir in the apricots and almonds, along with a pinch of salt.

Serve the quinoa with the tagine, and drizzle a tahini dressing over the top. Scatter over some coriander and mint, and pomegranate seeds if desired.

Moroccan fish tagine with chickpeas and veggies

Ingredients:

• Fish: any white-fleshed firm fish will work (e.g. cod)
• Produce: onions; yellow, red, orange, green bell peppers; and tomatoes. Also, there's a whole head of garlic! And one bunch of cilantro.
• Pantry & spices: cumin, crushed coriander seeds, turmeric, smoked paprika, bouillon powder, pepper, harissa, and a can of chickpeas.
• Olive oil
• Salt (optional)

Method:

• Warm up your tagine/Dutch oven. It's important to heat your tagine before you start cooking.
• Sauté onions and peppers. Coat the tagine with a generous amount of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons or more). Add in the onions, sauté until translucent, then add the bell peppers. Cover the tagine and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add spices, tomatoes, garlic, and harissa. Once the bell peppers have begun to soften, add in the spices and stir to coat the peppers and bloom the flavors. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cover the tagine and simmer for 3-4 minutes. If the tomatoes are very dry, add 2 tablespoons of water.
• Toss in the chickpeas, bouillon powder, and water. Open the lid, add the chickpeas and bouillon powder, and give everything a good stir. Pour the water over the mixture and cover the tagine for 10 minutes.
• Add cilantro and fish. Remove the lid and taste the sauce; you may wish to adjust the salt at this point. Stir in the cilantro, then place the fish on top of the sauce. Cover the tagine and simmer for 7 minutes.
• Braise, simmer, and cover. The fish has been cooking for 7 minutes and is becoming soft. Scoop some of the sauce on top of the fish and move the chickpeas to the side so the fish is submerged in the sauce. Cover and continue cooking for 4 minutes.

Serving suggestions:

• Briny olives and pickles
• Loaves of sourdough bread
• Simple side salad (e.g. fresh anise with lemon or a herb salad with vinegar and salt)

Beef tagine (Moroccan beef stew)

Beef tagine, or Moroccan beef stew, is a hearty dish that can be made in a traditional tagine or a simple frying pan. The recipe below serves four people and takes 45 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup carrot, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced/grated
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced/grated
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 8 dates, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 8 dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup olives, sliced
• 1/4 of a preserved lemon, pith removed, and peel rinsed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon harissa
• 1/4 cup almonds (sliced or slivered), toasted
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (optional)
• 1/2-1 kg well-trimmed shoulder/chuck beef, cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

• Cook the ground beef, onions, and carrots in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Break the beef apart as it cooks.
• Once the beef is cooked, drain off any excess grease.
• Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
• Add the broth, dates, apricots, raisins, olives, preserved lemon, honey, harissa, and saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Serve garnished with almonds, cilantro, and parsley.

This dish can be served by itself or with rice, pasta, or flatbread.

Frequently asked questions