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Scrambled Red Shakshuka From Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley

September 22, 2020
5
6 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist: Sophie Strangio. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 2, generously
Author Notes

This bright, saucy comfort from Sami Tamimi’s childhood in Palestine, modernized with a little Ottolenghi family flair, is one example of a lesser known style of shakshuka that’s nearly impossible to mess up. If you’ve ever felt anxious about poaching eggs, you needn’t: The eggs here are scrambled into the sauce, much like in Yemeni shakshuka and Turkish menemen, so they gently cook through and let you know when they’re done, without any guesswork.

As Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley write in their cookbook Falastin : “Shakshuka: the signature breakfast of the Middle East. It’s a wonderfully informal dish, brought to the table in the pan it’s cooked in and served straight from there. There are so many versions of shakshuka, all variations on the same theme of eggs cooked in a nice thick sauce. The eggs are usually braised, which is what we’ve done with the green shakshuka [in the book]. Here they’ve been gently scrambled.

“Playing around: The shakshuka base can go in all sorts of directions and colors—red here with the tomatoes and red bell pepper, or green with any leaves and herbs in need of using up. Either way, it’s a really versatile and robust dish, so feel free to play around with the spices and toppings. Spice-wise, for example, smoked paprika and roughly crushed caraway seeds work in the red shakshuka instead of the regular paprika and cumin seeds. Toppings-wise, for either of the shakshukas, chunks of tangy feta, black olives, or finely chopped preserved lemon peel work well dotted on top. A drizzle of tahini or a spoonful of yogurt is also great when serving, along with some crusty fresh bread and a crisp green salad.

“Getting ahead: The base sauce can be made a day or two ahead, up to the point before the eggs are added. The feta can also be marinated up to three days in advance. Make more of the feta than you need here, if you like; it’s a lovely thing to dot over roasted wedges of sweet potato, or all sorts of salads.”

A few more tips: Tara, a self-professed “pathological quadruple-batcher,” recommends making extra of the base sauce, so that you have it around to make shakshuka later in the week as well. Any leftovers of the eggs-included shakshuka also reheat shockingly well, so don’t be afraid to make too much.

Recipe adapted very slightly from Falastin (Ten Speed Press, June 2020).

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Scrambled Red Shakshuka From Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley
Ingredients
  • Shakshuka
  • 1 1/2 ounces (45 grams) feta, roughly crumbled
  • 1/4 cup (5 grams) parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon Aleppo chile flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
  • 5 tablespoons (75 milliliters) olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
  • 1 yellow or white onion, thinly sliced (1 2/3 cups / 150 grams)
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into long slices, 1/2-inch / 1 centimeter thick (5 ounces / 140 grams)
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press or minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 5 or 6 tomatoes, roughly chopped (18 ounces / 500 grams)
  • 2 1/2 ounces (75 grams) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons red shatta (see recipe below) or rose harissa
  • 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) water
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • Shatta (optional)
  • 9 ounces (250 grams) red or green chiles (with seeds), stems trimmed, very thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, to cover
Directions
  1. Shakshuka
  2. Place the feta in a bowl with the parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of chile flakes, 3 tablespoons of oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds. Mix well and set aside (in the fridge if making in advance) until needed.
  3. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan (with a lid at the ready) and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened and lightly browned. Add the bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin seeds, tomato paste, paprika, and remaining 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds. Cook for another 1 minute, until fragrant, and then add all the tomatoes, the shatta, water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a generous grind of black pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the sauce has thickened.
  4. Add a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper to the eggs and mix well. Slowly pour this into the tomato mixture, swirling the pan and giving it a couple of gentle folds—you don’t want the eggs to be too mixed in. Decrease the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let cook for 4 minutes.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat, spoon the marinated feta over the top, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of chile flakes, and serve at once.
  1. Shatta (optional)
  2. Place the chiles and salt in a medium sterilized jar (see note below) and mix well. Seal the jar and store in the fridge for 3 days. On the third day, drain the chiles, transfer them to a food processor, and blitz; you can either blitz well to form a fine paste or roughly blitz so that some texture remains. Add the vinegar and lemon juice, mix to combine, then return the mixture to the same jar. Pour enough olive oil on top to cover, and keep in the fridge for up to 6 months. The oil will firm up and separate from the chiles once it’s in the fridge, so just give it a good stir, for everything to combine, before using.
  3. Note: Sterilizing jars is a necessity when preserving foods (makdous, for example, or shatta). It ensures that all bacteria and yeasts are removed from a jar so that the food remains fresh. There are various ways to sterilize a glass jar. One is a water bath, where the jars go into water, with their lids added separately, the water is brought to a boil, and then the jars are “cooked” for 10 minutes. Another is filling the jars with just-boiled water and then rinsing and drying with a clean dish towel. We tend to just put ours into the dishwasher, though, and run it as a normal wash—it’s a simple solution that works very well.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

16 Reviews

James K. January 31, 2021
I'm curious about what you think of: not covering the dish at the end, placing the topping, and finishing in the oven at 350-400 F
Darian January 15, 2021
I agree with Cindy Y. - the scrambled version of shakshuka is a real winner, and the feta topping is phenomenal! I served this with homemade m'smen and everyone was thrilled.
Ilyssa December 3, 2020
This was so good. Have been wanting to make it since this GR came out - it was great and i did your new pepper trick too and it worked for me as well. :)
Cindy Y. October 27, 2020
I love watching your genius recipe videos, and really your baby is the most special ingredient to the show! I've made regular shakshuka many times before my eggs almost always are overdone (ick). I love, love, love this scrambled egg version and that topping is glorious! Thank you so much for eliminating the breakfast/brunch anxiety from my life!
Gershmiller October 12, 2020
So delicious! I’m making it again tonight! I don’t have parsley so am using fresh mint with the feta. I love scrambling the egg, it took my overcooked yolk anxiety waaaay down!
Erin H. September 25, 2020
the baby was the best ingredient!
abbyeats September 25, 2020
Loved this. The feta topping is essential IMO, unless you have something like toasted ciabatta to add a different type of contrast. Portion size is v generous!
ALBERT K. September 24, 2020
SUGGEST USING A GAS STOVE INSTEAD OF ELECTRIC FOR THE GENIUS RECIPES. ELECTRIC IS TOO SHAKEY
Kristen M. September 24, 2020
Thank you for your feedback, Albert—this is my home kitchen, so we're working with what I've got, which hopefully shows other cooks they can work with what they have, too. I wouldn't mind gas in my next kitchen though!
Liz S. September 24, 2020
Holy cow @ALBERT K. .... how exactly does a person SWITCH to Gas vs electric : )
Liz S. September 24, 2020
FWIW ... my personal house has electric. I do have an induction burner which is as close as I can get to gas vs $$$$$ renovation. My motorhome has propane (gas) so yea, but most of us cannot just change.
Meryl L. September 29, 2021
I have a gas stove but will be using an electric stove for the winter. Kristen- you’re making me less anxious about it!!
Thomas September 23, 2020
I've made normal shakshuka quite a few times before, and I'm excited to try this quicker version!
Kristen M. September 24, 2020
Thank you, Thomas! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Veronica October 11, 2020
I really enjoyed watching your video, you exude calmness. Are you the founder of Food 52?
Kristen M. February 1, 2021
Sorry I missed your comment, Veronica—I'm not the founder of Food52 (Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs founded the site in 2009) but I was their first hire a few months in, so I was lucky to be the Founding Editor of their brilliant creation.