Bouzroug Tagine

DifficultyBeginnerPrep Time1 hr 5 minsCook Time45 mins

Ingredients:

250 g Mussles

250 g Tomato Puree

4 tbsp Hot Water

3 cloves Garlic

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Chopped Parsley

1 pinch Chili Flakes

½ tsp Sea Salt

¼ tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Paprika

¼ Preserved Lemon

¼ tsp Turmeric

About the Recipe:

The taste of summer. Mussels, herbs, and spices are a great combination are that make for an easy, fast, and delicious tagine.

Here’s How It’s Done:

Clean the mussels
- Start with 1 kg mussels (with shells) — yields ~250 g meat.
- Discard any with cracked shells or that are open and don’t close after a firm tap.
- De-beard (pull the green threads), then rinse well and drain.
Build the base
- Coat tagine/pan with 2 Tbsp olive oil, heat to medium-low.
- Add 3 crushed garlic cloves + a big pinch chili flakes; cook until lightly golden.
- Add ¼ preserved lemon (rind finely chopped) and stir to perfume the oil.
Spice it right
- Stir in: ½ tsp sea salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika.
- Let spices bloom for 2 minutes, stirring.
Tomato & herbs
- Add 250 g tomato purée; mix until uniform.
- Fold in 2 Tbsp chopped parsley; cover and cook 5 minutes to meld.
Cook the mussels
- Add the mussels and 4 Tbsp hot water.
- Cover and cook 20 minutes over medium-low until shells open and meat is plump.
Reduce to a paste-like sauce
- Uncover, drop heat to low, and gently reduce until the sauce is thick, glossy, paste-like.
- Toss mussels occasionally so nothing sticks or burns.
- Taste and adjust salt or heat (chili) if needed.
Finish & serve
- Garnish with lemon slices and more chopped parsley.
- Serve hot with fresh Moroccan bread to scoop that concentrated sauce.
- Discard any mussels that didn’t open during cooking.

Notes & Swaps

Pan choice: a tagine concentrates sauce; a wide sauté pan works too (more evaporation).
Preserved lemon: if unavailable, use fresh lemon zest + a few drops of lemon juice (different but bright).
Heat level: swap chili flakes for harissa at the end for a smoky kick.
Tomato: for sweeter depth, stir in 1 tsp tomato paste with the purée.
Make-ahead: sauce can be pre-reduced; add mussels and cook right before serving for best texture.

Bouzroug Tagine

Here’s How It’s Done:

Notes & Swaps

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