Merguez Sausage Recipe

Origin: Tunisia      Period: Traditional

Merguez is the classic Algerian sausage (the name itself is a French transliteration of the Arabic mirqāz). They are small, spicy beef or lamb sausages that are a feature of Algerian and Tunisian cuisine. Typically they are used fresh, though they can also be sun-dried for use as a flavouring in tagines.

Ingredients:

900g boneless lamb shoulder (with its fat), diced
340g lamb fat, diced
4 large garlic cloves, pounded to a paste with 1 tbsp salt (use a pestle and mortar
1 tsp toasted and freshly-ground fennel seeds
1 tsp harissa
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
3m length sausage casings

Merguez Sausage Preparation:

Method:

Mix the lamb meat, lamb fat, garlic, fennel seeds, harissa, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and set aside over night for the flavours to combine.

Place the sausage casings in a bowl of water then attach one end to a tap and turn the water on gently. Allow to flow through the casings to remove any preserving salts. Drain the water from the casings then attach one end to the sausage stuffing attachment of a meat grinder (or a mixer). Push the casing onto the attachment so that it's all on the attachment. Tie the free end securely with a double knot.

Add the meat mixture to the grinder and turn it on. As the meat mix emerges it will push the casing and fill it, making a sausage. Place a bowl or plate beneath the emerging sausage to catch it.

Don't over-fill the casings and twist the sausages to divide into portions. The sausages will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days or you can freeze them for up to 4 months. You can also poach the sausages in gently-boiling water for 10 to help preserve them, if you are going to fry them later.

The traditional method of preserving is to leave the sausages in direct sunlight for 48 hours, puncturing them with a skewer so that they dry better. Once dried they are lightly cooked. Add olive oil to a depth of about 3 cm in a wok. Heat the oil until hot then turn off the heat, submerge the dried sausage in this and leave for 20 minutes. Store in glass jars, submerged in the oil used to cook them.

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