The spices in this dish are very typical of those found all over Northern Africa. Harissa paste is a fiery red chilli paste from this region but you can replace it with minced red chilli from a jar if you wish. This one really creeps up on you – an absolute winner everytime.
Serves 4
900 g (2 lb) boned shoulder or leg of lamb
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ tablespoon paprika
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon harissa paste
1 small red onion
1 small lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 30 cm (12 in) flat metal skewers
Trim any excess fat off the outside of the lamb and then cut it into roughly 5 cm (2 in) chunks. Place it into a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, spices, garlic, harissa paste and some seasoning and mix together well. Cover and leave to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Peel the onion, leaving the root end intact and then cut it into 8 wedges, so that the slices of onion stay together at the root. Cut each lemon into 8 wedges.
Thread the lamb, lemon and onion wedges alternately on to the skewers and barbecue over medium-hot coals for about 10–15 minutes, turning them now and then, until they are nicely browned on the outside but still pink in the centre. These would be nice served with either the Spicy Casablanca Couscous here or the Tangier Mint Tabbouleh here.