Lamb Sausages (Merguez)

My first taste of Merguez sausages was a memorable one: a rustic, off-grid cabin in France, holidaying with my bestie’s French family as a teenager. Grilled over a wood-fired barbecue, it took me years to realize those delicious small sausages were actually lamb—quite an adventure for my then-simple salt and pepper German palate!

Bold lamb can take on a lot of flavor, and so can my palate now. This traditional North African lamb sausage is heavily spiced with harissa paste and freshly toasted spices for maximum flavor. Merguez is a staple in Maghrebi cuisine – the Western part of North Africa – which includes the culinary traditions of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya.

I often make a batch of these easy hand-formed sausages for summer BBQs or a quick midweek meal. Similar to chorizo sausages, Merguez can also add instant flavor to other sausage recipes such as my lamb shakshuka, lamb pinwheels, and lamb wraps.

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• Lamb – Grass-fed and finished ground lamb shoulder works best as its fat keeps the sausages moist. You can use freshly ground lamb from the store or grind your own using a meat grinder or food processor. Make sure to freeze the meat slightly before grinding it to avoid it from getting too warm during the process.
• Harissa – I use a store-bought harissa paste with limited additives for convenience. You can find it in the condiment section of your supermarket or at specialist store such as Trader Joe’s. Harissa paste varies in terms of consistency and heat levels a lot so make sure you choose one that suits your taste.
• Spices – Dry toasting whole spices including cumin, coriander, and fennel, and grinding them freshly adds another test but I think the extra fresh flavors are worth it. Use ground spices for convenience.

Toast the spices.

Grind the spices.

Combine everything in a medium-sized bowl.

Shape the lamb mixture into sausages.