A few years ago, I had a freelance client ask me if I could try my hand at styling and photographing shakshuka for a product label design they were considering.
Shakshuka? I had never heard of it. She sent me a mood board with various images of sexy-looking eggs bathing in a rich-looking tomato sauce. Immediately up for the challenge, I got to cooking and excitedly fired up the studio lights. Unfortunately, her company decided to go another route and wound up not needing the images I had created. But the exercise gave me a really yummy introduction to this simple, yet deceptively complex-tasting dish.
When she initially sent me the recipe to use for the photo shoot, I found it interesting how very reminiscent it is of my mother’s huevos rancheros. The flavors and technique for poaching eggs in a tomato-based sauce were so familiar to me that I could scarcely wait to dig into the finished dish.
Much like the Mexican huevos rancheros I grew up with, shakshuka is a tangy, earthy, sweet and slightly spicy braise of tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and spices, to which eggs are added to poach in the barely simmering sauce.
After reading the supplied recipe, I went online to do some research. Shakshuka (or shakshouka), I learned, is thought to have Tunisian roots, although the actual origin of the dish is highly disputed. The dish is popular in Arab, North African and Israeli cuisines, but I discovered that there are a few variations, depending on the region in which it is prepared. Some recipes didn’t add bell peppers, and some swapped out the individual spices for harissa. Others added additional spices such as caraway and coriander, while some added feta cheese (yum, btw!). Some didn’t include eggs at all.
For the shoot, I needed to stick to the basic list of ingredients that my Moroccan client gave me for their line of Moroccan sauces. Her basic recipe is what inspired this version that I’m sharing here with you. I made one tiny ingredient tweak from the originally supplied list: I subbed in smoked Spanish paprika for regular paprika because I absolutely love its smoky undertones with anything tomato-based.
It was emphasized to me that for the shoot, the yolks had to be bright and yellow with no opaque whites covering them. If you want the same visual impact, it’s actually quite an easy thing to do, and the technique can be transferred to regular sunny-side-up eggs made in a skillet.
Here is how to replicate the look:
- First, remove eggs from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Place a small fine sieve over a cup or small bowl. Crack an egg into the sieve, swirl a bit, allowing the runny watery whites of the egg to drain through. Place the egg that’s left in the sieve into individual little bowls or ramekins. Discard the watery whites. Repeat with remaining eggs, each egg getting its own ramekin. (Bonus tip: This technique makes for the most perfect poached eggs as well.)
- If making regular sunny-side-up eggs, you’ll be poaching in olive oil instead of sauce. Add a generous amount of olive oil to your cast iron or nonstick pan. When the oil is hot and shimmering, turn the heat down to low and carefully slide the egg in one at a time (cooking one at a time allows for more control over the poaching). Here’s the important part: Don’t touch the eggs, and don’t move the pan. Allow the egg to sit in the oil undisturbed on the lowest heat setting possible for at least a full 2 minutes. Why? Because when you first put the egg in the pan, there is a thin layer of whites coating the yolk. You want to wait long enough for that thin layer to completely slide off the yolk. This might take a bit, so be patient. After a full 2 minutes, use a small spoon to gently baste the egg white with the hot olive oil. If you must, spoon a little of the hot oil first at the base of the yolks to see if they turn white. If they don’t, you can then spoon some hot oil over the yolk. Personally, I don’t. I just spoon it over all the white until the white is set but still a bit jiggly, which ensures that the yolk will be lusciously thick but still runny.
- If making the shakshuka, most recipes say to crack the eggs directly into an indentation in the sauce and cover the pan to finish cooking. DON’T do this if you want the pretty sunny-side-up eggs for presentation. Instead, crack the eggs as described above through a sieve and then into their own small ramekins, so that all the eggs are ready to go into the pan, one immediately after the other. Once they’re all in the pan, allow them to simmer undisturbed 5-8 minutes or until the whites are set up to your liking, but the yolks are still a little runny. If you want to speed up the cooking of the whites, after the first 2 minutes of poaching, gently spoon some of the hot simmering sauce over the whites, careful not to cover any of the yolk.
Although wonderful for breakfast, this dish — paired with crusty whole grain bread to mop up the sauce, a salad of lightly dressed greens and a glass of dry white wine — makes the most delicious, quick and easy dinner.
Shakshuka
This recipe makes a lot of thick, hearty sauce. If you want it a little thinner, just before adding the eggs, add water to taste, stir well, and heat through, then proceed with the recipe. Feel free to make some whole grains to serve as a bed for the sauce and egg or maybe even some polenta. Or save any extra sauce to toss with pasta for the next day. No, you don’t need to use a cast iron skillet but it — or a tagine — are preferred.
Makes 5-6 servings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika, or use regular paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
24 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
5-6 large eggs, depending on the size of your pan, room temperature
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet. When oil is shimmering, add onions and allow to sweat for 2 minutes, stirring often to keep from browning. Toss in the garlic and stir continuously for an additional minute. Work in the peppers, stirring well to combine and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the cilantro and 2 tablespoons of parsley, stirring well to incorporate. Toss in the cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne, stirring to combine. Pour in the tomatoes, stirring to combine well. Bring to a hard simmer, cover and reduce heat, then simmer on low for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, place a small sieve over a cup or small bowl. Crack an egg into the sieve, swirl a bit, allowing the runny watery whites of the egg to drain through. Place the egg that’s left in the sieve into a small bowl, cup or ramekin. Discard the watery whites. Repeat with remaining eggs, placing each into their own individual small containers.
After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, remove lid from skillet, stir well then using the back of a large spoon, make five or six indentations in the sauce. Carefully slide an egg into each indentation. Turn heat down to just keep the sauce at a low simmer and allow to cook, uncovered, until egg whites are just set, about 5 to 8 minutes longer. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Recipe is copyrighted by Anita L. Arambula from Confessions of a Foodie. Reprinted by permission.
Arambula is the food section art director and designer. She blogs at www.confessionsofafoodie.me, where this article originally published. Follow her on Instagram: @afotogirl. She can be reached at anita.arambula@sduniontribune.com.
