Classic Grilled Merguez with Harissa & Flatbread
Recipes with Merguez
The purest way to eat merguez: charcoal-grilled until charred and blistered, served with extra harissa, a squeeze of lemon, and warm flatbread to tear and wrap. Street food from the souks of Tunis.
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
8 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 8 merguez sausages
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 4 flatbreads (khobz or pita)
- Fresh mint leaves
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Optional: grilled peppers
Steps
Get your charcoal grill very hot, or heat a grill pan over high heat. The merguez need intense, direct heat.
Grill the merguez for 3-4 minutes per side, turning once. The casings should blister and char in spots while the inside stays juicy. Don't prick them, as you want the fat to stay inside.
Mix the harissa with olive oil to make a loose sauce. Warm the flatbreads on the grill for 30 seconds per side.
Serve the merguez on a board with the harissa-oil, lemon wedges, sliced onion, and mint. Tear the bread, wrap the sausage, add harissa. Eat immediately.
Tips
If you don't have a charcoal grill, a screaming-hot cast iron pan works. But do not, under any circumstances, microwave a merguez. The thin casing needs high heat to crisp.