Secret ingredient for delicious shakshuka

Shakshuka is a popular Middle Eastern breakfast dish with eggs. It consists of eggs slowly poached in a lovely thick sauce made with tomatoes, peppers, onions and spices. But what tip does Ottolenghi have for our favourite variation? A little preserved lemon takes the dish to a whole other level.

Preserved lemons

Preserved lemons are a commonly used ingredient in stews and soups from the Middle East and North Africa. You can make them yourself with unwaxed lemons, a generous spoonful of salt, some spices and a whole lot of patience (it takes at least a month before they are good to eat). But for those who would rather take the easy route: almost every Arab supermarket sells them ready-made.

Sour, salty and spicy

There are several ways to preserve vegetables and fruit, but the preservation technique used for these lemons is salt-based. Simple salt (sea salt or regular table salt) transforms the sour taste of lemon into something wonderfully spiced with a lovely aroma.

Most of the flavour is in the peel, but you can use the entire fruit. The peel and seeds have become completely soft through the preserving process. This means you won’t have to worry about hard pieces when chopping it finely. A small warning beforehand, though: use it in moderation, otherwise your dish will quickly start to taste a little soapy.

Stew or garnish

You can finely chop the preserved lemon, add it and stew it in the basic shakshuka recipe, but you can also sprinkle it over the dish at the last moment as a garnish. Delicious with some feta and coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley.