Homemade Merguez
- Total Time
- About 15 minutes, plus up to 5 days' refrigeration
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1pound ground lamb
- 2tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped; more for serving
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- 1teaspoon paprika
- ½teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Harissa, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
229 calories; 19 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 196 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast cumin, coriander and fennel seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer warm spices to a spice grinder and grind well, or use a mortar and pestle and pound seeds.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Form lamb mixture into desired shape (1-inch-thick by 5-inch-long cigars make nice merguez, but fatter cylinders or patties will also work). Chill for up to 5 days, freeze for up to 3 months, or use immediately.
- Step 3
Brush sausages with oil and grill or broil them until browned and cooked through. Or fry them in a little oil until well browned all over. Serve with more cilantro and harissa on the side, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
I made a triple batch of the spices and split it between a pound of lamb and a pound of beef. I cut back on the salt by about a third, and still found it much too salty. Next time, I'll omit the salt altogether but keep the other spices tripled. (I know I like my Merguez sausage spicy!)
We get lamb from a nearby farm and I was looking for something different to make with ground lamb. I came across this recipe handmade it. I put a beaten egg into the ground lamb but otherwise followed the recipe. They are terrific. We made a Greek Gyro sauce to go with them and polenta. It is now our favorite ground lamb recipe.
Almost doubled everything except the salt (Diamond Crystal Kosher is just right since it is the fluffiest) and cayenne. If you are adding egg as a binder, don't! You should mix it with a paddle in a Kitchen Aid (bowl and paddle chilled) for a few minutes. This way you: develop the natural collagen as a binder; blend the fat in better; distribute the spices; keep your hands out. The crust on the bare sausage is so much better and the juices are locked in. Harissa on side to adjust spice.
In a hurry and halved - Used ground cumin and coriander, fennel seeds, no cilantro, smoked paprika, reduced salt. Mixed very well by hand. I got 4 nicely proportioned sausages that I grilled, about 5 minutes. Served with grilled vegetables, rice with dill, feta, and lemon/tahini/yogurt sauce. Excellent speedy meal. Worth making the full amount next time.
I spend my summers at a cottage on a small lake, 100+ miles from anything remotely resembling a shawarma or similar. So when a farmer neighbour gifted me a pound of ground lamb, I went immediately to this recipe, made into patties, which I've found easier to keep together. Along with Mark Bittman's easy Labanese flatbread and the tangy yogurt sauce from Kay Chun's spiced roast chicken, some chopped tomato and lettuce, I had a table full of happy campers.
I was eager to try this recipe as I'm someone who orders merguez whenever they're on a menu -- but live in a rural area where they are impossible to find. And not having to mess around stuffing casings - yay! Made to recipe and, while the flavour was good (still would up the seasonings next time), I could not get anything like the cigar-shape that all good merguez are. Anything thinner than an emaciated ovoid would fall apart, some right when they hit the grill. A binder of some kind needed.
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