Moroccan lamb shanks
- Published: 31 Aug 06
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
Melt-in-the-mouth lamb, slow-cooked with all those fantastically aromatic flavours of North Africa, and a sweet hit from the addition of apricots.
Not quite right? These curried lamb shanks are similar.
- Serves 4
- Ready in about 3 hours
Ingredients
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3cm piece fresh ginger, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 lamb shanks, about 450g each
- 2 large red onions, cut into wedges
- 11/2 tbsp Belazu Rose Harissa or Bart Spices Harissa Paste (both from major supermarkets)
- 200g can chopped tomatoes
- 600ml chicken stock, hot
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100g dried ready-to-eat apricots, halved
- 100g dried ready-to-eat figs, halved
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan140°C/gas 3. Bash the cumin and coriander in a pestle and mortar or whizz together in a mini food processor, then add the ginger, garlic and salt, and work or whizz to a rough paste. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole (large enough for the lamb shanks to fit snugly) over a high heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown well all over. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions to the casserole and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the spice paste and harissa and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stock, return the shanks to the casserole and stir together. Bring to the boil and drop in the cinnamon stick. Cover with a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours, turning the lamb once or twice.
- Stir the dried fruit into the casserole and return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes or until the lamb is almost falling off the bone. Serve with hot couscous flavoured with mint, coriander, preserved lemon and lemon juice.
- Recipe from September 2006 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 826kcals
- Fat
- 41.2g (15g saturated)
- Protein
- 91.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 31.4g (28.7g sugar)
- Salt
- 3g
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I love this recipe because with all those Moroccan flavours it is great for a Sunday family lunch or a dinner party treat, the choice is yours. Slow cooked for tenderness, giving you more time to spend with your friends or with the kids.
I love this recipe because its so good the family ask for it again and again – tender, spicy, warming – a treat for Sunday lunch or anytime