Authentic Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine (Tangia)
This Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine originated in my father’s hometown of Marrakech and is packed with flavors of garlic, preserved lemon and lamb. You will love the sauce this dish provides served with a fresh baguette or over a bed of couscous.
If you love Moroccan recipes and homemade preserved lemons, look no further. This lamb shank tagine is the perfect recipe for you!
With the power of preserved lemons, fresh garlic and traditional Moroccan spices, lamb has never been better.
If you ever get the chance to try this tagine in its city of origin, Marrakech, you’ll see chefs in the Medina pulling tall clay pots (with a different shape than a classic tagine) out of the ground to serve you Tangia from.
That’s right, Tangia isn’t traditionally made in a tagine. It’s perfectly achievable in one, but there’s something truly special about witnessing the dish in it’s traditional glory.
If you’re interested in trying out more tagine recipes, I recommend this beef tagine, chicken tagine, and vegetable tagine.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this tagine:
- lamb shanks, cut into 3-4 inch cubes
- garlic, minced
- preserved lemon, diced with seeds removed
- cumin
- saffron (use twice the turmeric if you can’t find saffron)
- turmeric
- salt
- olive oil
- ghee (use twice the olive oil if you can’t find ghee)
- water
- OPTIONAL: parsley, minced for garnish
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Instructions
Easy Additions
Once you’ve perfected this lamb shank tagine, you’ve got a wonderful sort of blank canvas that can be easily built off of.
Here are some easy additions you could toss into your tagine to mix things up. Keep in mind if you add new ingredients at the beginning of your cook time, they may get soft and mushy so I recommend adding any other vegetables in the last hour to keep their integrity.
full disclosure, the ideas I’m sharing below are actual Moroccan tajines I grew up eating that can be made with both lamb or beef. I’m hoping to share official recipes for these delicious combos at some point in the future 🙂
- Green beans & tomato – truly a magical combination of veggies, the crunch of the green beans is great with the hit of acidity from the tomatoes
- Artichoke hearts & peas – I’m pretty much always looking for places to incorporate artichoke hearts, so this variation has a really special place in my heart
- Apricots or prunes & almonds – this one wasn’t my favorite as a kid but it has really grown on me as an adult. The sweet concentrated bite from the prunes is really spectacular with the savory lamb and crunchy almonds.
What to Serve with Your Tajine
I recommend serving lamb tajine (or any tajine) with a collection of Moroccan salads. Not only is it the traditional pairing with for dish like this, it’s also a much needed bite of freshness for this tajine in particular.
- Salads – This tomato salad is my personal favorite for this dish but you’ll also enjoy this carrot salad and lentil salad.
- Mint tea – if you’re looking for the perfect drink to pair with your meal, look no further than a cup of Moroccan mint tea.
- Fresh fruit – in Morocco fruit is widely accepted as a form of dessert, and is frequently served on large platters directly after the meal.
- With bread or couscous – this tagine is traditionally enjoyed with freshly baked Moroccan bread (khobz), but it’s also delicious served over couscous (as pictured.)
Equipment
By now you’ve likely realized that the only special tool you will need to make Tangia is a clay pot like a tajine or tangia (the tall clay pots they make Tangia in in Marrakech).
I’m extremely lucky to have inherited all of my tajines from my dad but I know sourcing one directly from Morocco isn’t exactly easy for most of us.
That’s why I’ve compiled a short list of some of my favorite brands you can find domestically for you to shop from.
I really like this one by LeCruset because of how sturdy it is. This one by Emile Henry feels pretty close to the real thing you can find in Morocco as well.
Bismillah!
Authentic Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine (Tangia)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree, Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Tajine, Tagine
- Cuisine: Moroccan, Mediterranean
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Moroccan Lamb Shank Tagine originated in my father’s hometown of Marrakech and is packed with flavors of garlic, preserved lemon and lamb. You will love the sauce this dish provides served with a fresh baguette or over a bed of couscous.
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb shank, cut into 3-4 inch cubes
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 preserved lemon, diced with seeds removed
- 3 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp saffron (use twice the turmeric if you can’t find saffron)
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp ghee (use twice the olive oil if you can’t find ghee)
- 1 tbsp water
- Moroccan bread or couscous(optional)
Instructions
- Prep the oven to 275 degrees F / 135 degrees C. Start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees. Arrange the lamb in the base of the tagine.
- Prep the marinade. In a small bowl combine the minced garlic, lemon, spices, oil, ghee and water. Mix well and pour the mixture over the lamb.
- Bake until for 2 hours, or until lamb is fully cooked. Cover the tagine and bake in the oven for 2 hours or until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
- Serve. Enjoy with Moroccan bread or your favorite kind of bread (to soak up the sauce) or over freshly cooked couscous with a sprinkle of minced parsley (optional).
This totally made my day. I am so glad you loved it!
Hi Salima! Can I make this without a tagine at home?
Hi Aditi,
Yes you can! I recommend using a good quality dutch oven and following the directions exactly as detailed. Best of luck and thank you for your question!
Salima
Hi. Glad this came via my Google feed. I have preserved lemons but haven’t used them yet. Also have pottery to cook in although no tagine yet. Noticed your lamb shanks have a large amount of meat on them. The ones I have access to don’t have that amount of meat. Lamb is starting to come down on our area. I gathered you cut the meat off bone then into smaller pieces.
Peter
When you say to dice the preserved lemon, do you mean rind and pulp or, do you mean just the rind or just the pulp?
Thanks for your review Daniel! It’s entirely up to you; in my family we use both. That said, I know many people who prefer using just the rind as it has a softer, more consistent texture.
Salima, can you use boneless lamb leg instead of the shank? I’ve made braised lamb shanks before but they don’t seem to have a lot of meat. Or, can I use lamb shanks without removing the meat from the bone?
Yes! Any cut of lamb will work, but make sure to check the temperature occasionally while it cooks. This will help to prevent them from overcooking, since boneless lamb will cook faster.
I’d been meaning to try tagine for literally years. I bought some ras el hanout at a gourmet shop near the resort where my wife and I were staying recently. A few days ago I bought a boneless leg of lamb. I still hesitated though. Your recipe made it all come together. My wife isn’t a big fan of fruit in savory dishes so your classic tagine with peas and artichoke hearts was a no-brainer. When she suggested I make the tagine for our 33rd anniversary the other day instead of going out since it would be cool and rainy here, I leapt at the chance. I followed your recipe pretty closely and paired it with your tomato salad. I did substitute my ras el hanout for the spices and opted to use a slow cooker rather than the oven. I waited to add the veggies until near the end. We finished with some store-bought baklava. Thanks Salima for the memorable meal, a relaxing rainy day cooking experience and a great anniversary memory!
Hi Doug and thank you so much for your comment and review. I am so glad to hear you and your wife enjoyed the Moroccan food and I’m honored my recipes contributed to your celebrations. I noticed you mentioned my pea and artichoke tagine recipe, which I recently revised. I’m going to email you the original recipe, in case you ever go looking for it and find that it’s no longer on the site. Happy cooking and thank you again for your support.