Tunisia · Breakfast · Easy
Shakshuka
Tunisian eggs poached in a spiced sauce of peppers, tomato and harissa
Eggs gently poached in a thick sauce of onion, red and green peppers and tomatoes, seasoned the Tunisian way with harissa, caraway and coriander. Cooking the peppers until soft and reducing the sauce before the eggs go in gives a sauce thick enough to hold each egg in its own well.
- Energy
- 316 kcalper serving
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Protein
- 16 g
How was it?
Equipment
- Wide, deep frying pan or sauté pan (28 cm) with a lid
- Wooden spoon
- Small cup for cracking the eggs
Before you start
- Slice the onion and cut the peppers into strips, removing seeds and white ribs.
- Chop the garlic and measure the spices into a small bowl.
- Tip the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hand.
- Take the eggs out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead.
Method
-
Soften the onion
45 ml olive oil150 g onionHeat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring often.
Done when The onion is soft and translucent with just a few golden edges.
-
Cook the peppers
150 g red pepper150 g green pepperAdd both peppers and cook over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then.
Done when The peppers are completely soft, bend without snapping and have lost their raw, grassy smell.
Tip Do not rush this step. Underdone peppers stay crunchy and watery in the finished dish.
-
Fry the spices
3 cloves garlic1 tbsp tomato paste1 tbsp harissa1 tsp ground caraway1 tsp ground coriander1 tsp sweet paprikaAdd the garlic, tomato paste, harissa, caraway, coriander and paprika. Stir over medium heat for 1–2 minutes.
Done when The paste darkens to brick red, coats the vegetables and the pan smells toasty and spicy, without any burnt notes.
-
Simmer the sauce
800 g tinned whole peeled tomatoes3 g fine saltAdd the crushed tomatoes and the salt, bring to a bubble, then simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Done when The sauce is thick and glossy; a spoon drawn through it leaves a gap that only slowly closes.
-
Taste and adjust
3 g fine saltTaste the sauce and add more salt or harissa if needed. Lower the heat to low.
Done when The sauce tastes rounded and spicy, with no sharp raw-tomato acidity, and bubbles only lazily.
-
Add the eggs
8 eggsWith the back of a spoon, make 8 wells in the sauce. Crack each egg into the cup and slide it into a well.
Done when Each egg sits in its own hollow, the yolk intact and surrounded by sauce.
Tip Cracking into a cup first lets you fish out shell and keeps the yolk whole.
-
Poach the eggs
Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 6–8 minutes.
Done when The whites are opaque and fully set all the way to the yolk, and the yolks are glossy and still jiggle when you shake the pan.
Tip For pregnant women, young children, older people or anyone with a weak immune system, cook 10–12 minutes, until the yolks are firm.
-
Finish and serve
10 g flat-leaf parsleyScatter over the parsley and bring the pan straight to the table.
Done when The sauce is still bubbling gently at the edges and the yolks are bright against the red sauce.
Common mistakes
The sauce is watery and the eggs spread.
Fix The sauce was not reduced enough. Simmer until a spoon leaves a slow-closing gap before adding the eggs.
The whites are still runny but the yolks are hard.
Fix The heat was too high, or the pan was uncovered. Keep it on low with the lid on so steam sets the tops of the whites.
It is too hot to eat.
Fix Harissa varies a lot in strength. Start with half, taste the sauce in step 5 and add more only then.
The spices taste bitter.
Fix They burned. Fry them for no more than 2 minutes over medium heat and add the tomatoes as soon as the paste darkens.
Serving
Serve straight from the pan with crusty bread or Tunisian tabouna for dipping (the bread is not gluten-free). Two eggs per person makes a main course; one each for a lighter brunch.
Storage and reheating
The eggs are best eaten straight away. The sauce without eggs keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Reheat it until bubbling, then poach fresh eggs in it.
Make ahead
Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead. Bring it back to a simmer in the pan and add the eggs just before serving.
Variations
With merguez
Not vegetarian. Brown 200 g of sliced merguez in the pan over medium heat for 5 minutes before the onion, and use their fat in place of some of the oil.
Green shakshuka
Use only green peppers, add 200 g of chopped spinach with the tomatoes and halve the tomatoes. Finish with coriander instead of parsley.
Vegan
Replace the eggs with 400 g of firm tofu cut into 2 cm slices or 2 tins of drained chickpeas, warmed through in the sauce for 5 minutes.
With feta
Crumble 80 g of feta over the sauce with the eggs. It adds salt and makes the dish not dairy-free.
