In this shakshuka recipe, the traditional tomatoes have been switch out for greens: spiced wilted spinach, an avocado cream bolstered with coriander and mint. Merguez sausages add extra dimension; the just-set eggs, meanwhile, are non-negotiable. Consider this the green eggs, sans ham, courtesy of Brisbane café Naïm.
Naïm's green shakshuka
Green eggs, sans ham.
- 30 mins preparation
- 35 mins cooking plus cooling
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 80 gm butter
- 3 large (120gm) shallots, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 merguez sausages (about 200gm)
- 500 gm baby spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
- 8 eggs
- Toasted challah or Turkish bread, to serve
Avocado sour cream
- ½ avocado, scooped from skin
- 125 gm sour cream (½ cup)
- 30 ml olive oil (1½ tbsp)
- 2 tsp thinly sliced coriander
- 2 tsp thinly sliced mint
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- Large pinch of coriander seeds
Method
Main
- 1Melt half the butter in a small frying pan over low-medium heat. Add shallot and stir until softened (3-4 minutes), then add garlic and stir until lightly caramelised (5-6 minutes). Add 20gm butter and spices, stir until fragrant (30 seconds), then transfer to a plate.
- 2Meanwhile, in a separate small frying pan, gently fry merguez in remaining butter over low-medium heat until cooked through (8-10 minutes). Slice merguez into thick rounds, reheat pan over medium-high heat and fry until lightly browned.
- 3Blanch spinach until just wilted (15-20 seconds), then drain, refresh in iced water and drain well.
- 4For avocado sour cream, blend all ingredients in a small blender until smooth.
- 5Preheat oven to 200C. Add a quarter of the spiced shallot mixture to small ovenproof frying pans (about 18cm-diameter base, or just make one in a large pan if short of time) over medium heat. When hot add a quarter of the drained spinach and 1 tsp lemon juice and season to taste. Stir for a further 30-60 seconds until warmed through. Make 2 indents in mixture and crack eggs in. Top with merguez and bake until whites are just set (4-5 minutes).
- 6Season to taste, top with dollops of avocado sour cream and serve with toasted bread.