Lamb tagine with apricots and olives
Slow-braised lamb scented with saffron, cinnamon and honey, finished with apricots, olives and toasted almonds.
This lamb tagine is a slow-braised, spoil-yourself kind of dish — think fragrant saffron, warming cinnamon and sticky apricots, cut through with lemon and salty olives. It’s a one-pot feast that looks impressive but mainly asks for patience.
Make it for a weekend supper or when you’ve got friends round; it’s forgiving to cook and actually tastes better the next day. Serve with couscous, flatbreads or simply a green salad and crushed new potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg lamb shoulder — boned and cut into 3cm chunks
- 30 ml olive oil
- 2 brown onions — thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 10 ml ground cumin
- 10 ml ground coriander
- 5 ml ground cinnamon
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 10 saffron threads — lightly crushed
- 15 ml tomato purée
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 400 ml lamb stock — hot
- 3 carrots — peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
- 150 g dried apricots — halved if large
- 100 g green olives, pitted
- 15 ml honey
- 10 ml sea salt
- 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lemon — zest and juice
- 30 ml flaked almonds — toasted, for garnish
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- tagine or heavy-based ovenproof casserole (with lid)
Instructions
Put the lamb shoulder into a large bowl. Add the garlic cloves, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, smoked paprika, tomato purée, saffron threads, 1 tbsp olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well so the meat is evenly coated, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
Heat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C conventional.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a tagine or a heavy-based ovenproof casserole over a medium-high hob. Working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot, brown the lamb pieces for about 2–3 minutes per side until a rich caramel colour. Remove each browned batch to a plate.
Turn the heat to medium, add the brown onions and carrots to the tagine with a splash more oil if needed and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to colour, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining crushed garlic in the last minute.
Stir in the tomato purée, then add the tinned chopped tomatoes and hot lamb stock. Add the cinnamon stick and any remaining saffron threads. Bring to a gentle simmer on the hob for 5 minutes to combine flavours.
Return the browned lamb to the tagine, stir to submerge the meat in the sauce, cover with the lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 90 minutes.
Remove the tagine from the oven, add the dried apricots, green olives, honey and the lemon zest and juice. Return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes so the fruit plumps and the sauce concentrates slightly.
Take the tagine off the oven and place on the hob over a low heat for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce if it seems too thin. Adjust seasoning with extra sea salt or pepper if needed.
Leave the tagine to rest, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.
Scatter with toasted flaked almonds and chopped fresh coriander and serve straight from the tagine.
Tips
- Browning the meat in batches is vital — don’t rush it. Proper fond (browned bits) builds the base flavour for the whole dish.
- Soak the saffron threads in a tablespoon of warm stock for 10 minutes before adding if you want a stronger colour and aroma.
- This tagine keeps beautifully: cool, refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months.
- If you don’t have a tagine, a heavy-based ovenproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid works exactly the same.
- Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan — they burn quickly, so watch closely.
Substitutions
lamb shoulder → lamb neck, same weight
Stays closedried apricots → dried prunes, same weight
Stays closesaffron threads → pinch turmeric for colour (use 1/4 tsp)
Noticeably differentgreen olives, pitted → black olives, pitted, same weight
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 790
- Calories
- 46 g
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 20 g
- Sugar
- 850 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I cook this in a slow cooker?
Yes — after browning, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours. Add apricots and olives in the final hour.
Is this gluten-free?
Yes. The recipe contains no gluten ingredients as written.
Can I make this ahead?
Absolutely. The flavours improve overnight. Reheat gently on the hob or in a low oven before serving.
Can I omit the nuts for a nut-free version?
Yes — leave out the flaked almonds or replace with toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch.
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