At a glance

Simmer crushed tomatoes until a spoon leaves a track in the sauce. Make four wells for the eggs and cover the pan until the whites and yolks are firm. Add feta and the harissa-lemon finish by the bowl.

Harissa Tomato Shakshuka

Prep 15 min · Cook 40 min · Total 55 min · Yield 4 servings

Ingredients & directions

Tomato-poached eggs with feta and harissa-lemon oil

Ingredients

Tomato and eggs

Harissa-lemon finish

Crushed tomatoes, red pepper, eggs, harissa, spices, feta, garlic, lemon, cilantro and olive oil

Use a 12-inch enameled or stainless steel skillet with a lid, a wooden spoon, a small bowl for cracking the eggs and four small cups for the dressing. Crush the tomatoes in a bowl so you keep their juices.

Directions

  1. Diced onion and red bell pepper softening and browning in an enameled skillet

    Brown the onion and pepper

    Heat the 2 tablespoons plain olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and half the salt. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion softens and the pepper edges begin to brown. Reduce the heat to medium.

  2. A spoon leaves a shallow track through thick harissa tomato sauce

    Reduce the harissa tomato sauce

    Stir in the garlic, 2 teaspoons harissa, cumin and smoked paprika. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant. Add the crushed tomatoes and juices. Simmer uncovered for 14 to 18 minutes, breaking up large pieces with the spoon, until a track drawn across the pan takes a moment to fill in. Taste before adding the rest of the salt.

  3. Four eggs with opaque whites and intact yolks set in thick tomato sauce

    Cook four eggs in the sauce

    Reduce the heat to low and make four wells in the sauce. Crack each egg into the small bowl, then slide it into a well. Cover and cook gently for about 8 to 12 minutes, checking from 8 minutes. The eggs are ready when the whites are opaque and firm and the yolks are firm. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer as the eggs set.

  4. A spoon of harissa-lemon dressing over one bowl of shakshuka with feta

    Finish one bowl at a time

    Whisk the remaining 1 teaspoon harissa with the lemon juice and cilantro. Divide among four small cups. For a plain bowl, whisk 1 teaspoon (5 mL) plain finishing oil into its cup. For an infused bowl, measure its labeled oil, then add enough plain oil to reach 1 teaspoon total. Scoop one egg and a quarter of the sauce into each bowl, divide the feta among them, then spoon on each bowl’s dressing. Identify the infused bowl before serving.

Storage For make-ahead, cool the plain sauce in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours at 40°F (4°C) or colder. Use within 3 days. Bring the sauce back to a simmer before adding the eggs. Refrigerate cooked leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F/32°C) and use within 2 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Add the dressing at the table.

Serving with THC Use only a labeled oral product for consenting adults of legal age where permitted. Health Canada suggests choosing 2.5 mg THC or less if you are new to edibles. Effects can take up to 4 hours to fully develop. Avoid taking more during that time. Do not drive or operate machinery after using cannabis. Label infused food, keep it apart from plain food, and lock it away from children and pets.

Kitchen notes

Get a sauce thick enough to hold the eggs

If the sauce looks watery

Keep simmering uncovered before adding the eggs. A thin sauce can flood the wells and make the eggs harder to portion.

If your harissa is very hot

Use a mild paste or start with half the amount in the sauce and dressing. Taste the sauce before adding the eggs, and taste the dressing before measuring any infused oil.

Keep the dressing balanced

Each bowl gets 1 teaspoon total finishing oil. If your measured infused oil would exceed that, use plain oil for the bowl.

Make it without cannabis

Use plain olive oil in all four cups. The tomatoes, eggs and feta are prepared the same way.

Use the product label

Estimate THC in a portion

Enter only the labeled edible oil measured for one bowl, before adding any plain oil to its dressing. Use the same unit for the label amount and the amount used.

Enter the label values and the amount you used.

The estimate is for what you add to one serving. Product variation and any finish left on the spoon can change the amount consumed.

THC in one portion = label THC (mg) × amount used ÷ label amount.

For example, a hypothetical label of 10 mg THC per 20 mL and a measured 2 mL give 10 × 2 ÷ 20 = 1 mg THC added. Enter the values from your own product.

Serve it plain if you cannot verify the label or measure the amount in the label’s units.

Recipe and safety references