Bring the warmth and fragrance of Moroccan cooking to the table with this beautiful Moroccan BBQ Lamb and Lamb Tagine Feast.
The first dish features tender lamb marinated with garlic, cumin, paprika, coriander, lemon and fresh herbs before being grilled until smoky and caramelised.
Alongside it sits a rich Moroccan lamb tagine, slowly cooked with onions, warming spices, dried apricots and prunes, then finished with toasted almonds, sesame seeds and fresh herbs.
Serve the two dishes together for a generous Moroccan-style gathering, or prepare either recipe separately for an easier family dinner.
🔥 Smoky Moroccan BBQ lamb
🥘 Slow-cooked lamb tagine
🌿 Coriander & parsley
✨ Cumin, ginger & turmeric
🍑 Apricots & prunes
🥜 Toasted almonds
🍋 Fresh lemon
BBQ Lamb: Serves 4
Lamb Tagine: Serves 6
Preparation: About 25 minutes, plus marinating
Cooking: 15 minutes for the skewers / about 1½–2 hours for the tagine
Suggested labels: Moroccan Recipes, Lamb Recipes, Tagine Recipes, BBQ Recipes, North African Food, Dinner Recipes
🔥 Recipe 1: Moroccan BBQ Lamb Skewers
These juicy lamb skewers take inspiration from Moroccan grilled meats, with plenty of cumin, paprika, garlic, coriander and lemon.
Ingredients
- 600g boneless lamb, cut into bite-size cubes
- 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 green pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Small pinch of salt
- Lemon wedges, for serving
👩🍳 Method
1. Make the Moroccan Marinade
Combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, ground coriander, ginger, cayenne, fresh coriander, parsley, black pepper and salt.
Add the lamb cubes and toss until thoroughly coated.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For deeper flavour, marinate for several hours.
2. Assemble the Skewers
Thread the marinated lamb onto skewers.
You can alternate the meat with red pepper, green pepper and red onion, or grill the vegetables separately as shown in our photo.
If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water beforehand to reduce scorching.
3. BBQ the Lamb 🔥
Preheat your barbecue or grill until hot.
Cook the skewers for approximately 8–12 minutes, turning regularly so the lamb develops those gorgeous charred edges.
Cooking time will depend on the size of your lamb pieces and preferred doneness.
4. Rest & Serve
Let the lamb rest for several minutes.
Scatter with fresh parsley or coriander and serve with lemon wedges.
A squeeze of lemon over smoky cumin-spiced lamb is a tiny piece of culinary engineering that does far more work than it has any right to. 🍋😄
🥘 Recipe 2: Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Prunes, Apricots & Almonds
Now for the slower, richer half of the feast.
Tender lamb is gently cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and other warming spices before dried fruit is added for the characteristic sweet-savory contrast found in many Moroccan meat-and-fruit dishes.
Ingredients
- 900g lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 2 large onions, finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of saffron threads, optional
- 500ml reduced-salt lamb or chicken stock, approximately
- 100g dried prunes
- 100g dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons honey, optional
- 50g blanched almonds, lightly toasted
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Small amount of salt, if needed
👩🍳 Method
1. Season the Lamb
Combine the lamb with the ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and black pepper.
Massage the spices into the meat and set aside while you prepare the onions.
2. Start the Tagine
Heat the olive oil in a tagine base or heavy casserole over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook gently until softened.
Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
3. Brown the Lamb
Add the seasoned lamb.
Brown it lightly on several sides so the spices become fragrant and the exterior of the meat develops colour.
4. Slow Cook
Add enough stock to partially surround the meat without completely submerging it.
Add the saffron if using.
Cover and cook over low heat for approximately 1¼–1½ hours, or until the lamb is becoming tender.
Check occasionally and add a little additional water or stock if necessary.
5. Add the Dried Fruit
Add the prunes and dried apricots.
For a sweeter tagine, stir in the honey.
Cover and continue cooking for approximately 20–30 minutes, until the lamb is beautifully tender and the dried fruit has softened.
6. Reduce the Sauce
Remove the lid during the final few minutes if the sauce needs thickening.
You want a rich sauce that clings to the lamb rather than a thin broth.
Taste before adding salt.
7. Finish the Tagine 🇲🇦
Scatter toasted almonds over the top.
Finish with sesame seeds, fresh coriander and parsley.
The result should give you that lovely contrast of savory spiced lamb, sweet fruit, rich sauce and crunchy almonds.
🥗 What to Serve with Your Moroccan Lamb Feast
For the full table shown in our photo, serve the lamb with:
- Fluffy couscous with parsley
- Moroccan tomato and cucumber salad
- Green olives
- Grilled peppers, courgettes and onions
- Moroccan bread
- Harissa on the side
- Fresh lemon wedges
You don't need all of these for an ordinary dinner. The photograph is very much in its “the entire family is apparently coming over” era. 😄🇲🇦
📊 Estimated Calories & Nutrition
Because these are recipes created to accompany our photograph, these values are estimates rather than laboratory-tested nutrition information.
🔥 Moroccan BBQ Lamb
Approximate nutrition for 1 of 4 servings, including some grilled vegetables:
| Nutrition | Approx. |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~480 kcal |
| Protein | ~38g |
| Carbohydrates | ~10g |
| Fat | ~31g |
🥘 Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Approximate nutrition for 1 of 6 servings:
| Nutrition | Approx. |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~520 kcal |
| Protein | ~36g |
| Carbohydrates | ~30g |
| Fat | ~28g |
🍽️ Full Feast
If someone eats a portion of both lamb dishes plus couscous, bread and sides, the total will naturally be considerably higher.
For that reason, I would not advertise the complete photographed platter as a 500-calorie meal. The calorie estimates above are for each individual recipe and exclude optional couscous, bread, harissa and most side dishes.
📸 About the Photo
Our photo is designed as a Moroccan feast rather than a literal photograph of one serving.
It shows the BBQ lamb alongside a fruit-and-almond lamb tagine, couscous, Moroccan salad, bread, olives, grilled vegetables and harissa.
Those sides are serving suggestions and aren't included in the individual recipe calorie estimates.