Merguez Couscous Royal

Merguez Couscous Royal

Recipes with Merguez

The grand Friday lunch of the Maghreb: fluffy steamed couscous piled high with grilled merguez, chickpeas, roasted vegetables, and a fragrant spiced broth ladled over everything. A dish that brings families together across North Africa and France.

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

40 min

Servings

4

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

  • 8 merguez sausages
  • 400g couscous
  • 400g canned chickpeas, drained
  • 2 carrots, cut into chunks
  • 2 zucchini, cut into chunks
  • 1 red bell pepper, quartered
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 600ml chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Butter for couscous
  • Fresh cilantro

Steps

1

Bring the broth to a simmer. Stir in harissa, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Add carrots, onion, and chickpeas. Simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

2

Meanwhile, toss the zucchini and bell pepper in olive oil, season, and roast at 220°C for 15 minutes or grill alongside the merguez.

3

Grill the merguez over high heat for 3-4 minutes per side until charred.

4

Prepare the couscous: pour 400ml boiling broth (from the pot) over the couscous, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in a knob of butter.

5

Pile the couscous onto a large platter. Arrange the merguez, roasted vegetables, and chickpeas on top. Ladle remaining broth around the edges. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of harissa oil.

Tips

Traditionally, couscous is steamed in a couscoussier — a two-part pot where the broth simmers below and the steam cooks the couscous above. If you have one, use it. The texture is incomparably better than the instant method.