Cooking with Apricots
Recipes with Apricots — Dried Fruit Sweetness for Moroccan Tagines
Apricots (mishmish) bring a bright, tangy sweetness to Moroccan cooking, especially in their dried form, where they are a favourite fruit for the sweet-savoury tagines the cuisine is famous for. Dried apricots plump into golden jewels against slow-cooked lamb and chicken, their gentle acidity cutting through rich meat where prunes are darker and figs seedier. Fresh apricots appear briefly in early summer for eating and jam. This guide covers how Moroccans use apricots, the dishes they suit, how much to add and when, and how to choose good dried fruit.
How Moroccans use apricots
In Moroccan cooking apricots usually mean dried apricots, valued for their tangy-sweet flavour and how well they hold up in a braise. They are added to lamb and chicken tagines, plumping in the sauce and lending a bright fruit note that balances warm spice and rich meat. Their gentle tartness makes them a slightly lighter choice than prunes for a sweet-savoury dish. Dried apricots also stew into compotes and stud sweets and breakfast dishes. Fresh apricots, in their short early-summer season, are mostly eaten out of hand or turned into jam rather than cooked into savoury food.
The best Moroccan recipes with apricots
Lamb tagine with dried apricots — the apricots plumped into a golden, sweet-tangy sauce, often with almonds. Chicken tagine with apricots — a lighter, fragrant version. Apricot and almond compote scented with cinnamon and orange blossom water. Sweet couscous studded with apricots and other dried fruit. Apricot-filled pastries. Start with a lamb and apricot tagine, adding the fruit toward the end so it plumps and softens into the sauce while keeping its shape and its lovely tang against the spiced meat.
How much to use and when to add
For a tagine feeding four to six, a generous handful of dried apricots (around 150-200g) gives plenty of fruit through the dish. Add them toward the end of cooking so they plump in the sauce but keep their shape, rather than dissolving. A short soak beforehand helps very dry apricots swell. Their acidity balances the richness of lamb, so you may need less added sugar or honey than with prunes. Toasted almonds scattered on top are the classic finish, their crunch offsetting the soft, jammy fruit. Taste and balance sweetness against the salt of the meat and any preserved lemon.
Buying and storing apricots
Choose dried apricots that are soft, plump and pliable; very hard, dark, leathery ones are old and will stay tough. Naturally dried apricots are browner than the bright orange sulphured kind, and both work in cooking. They are sold loose by weight in the souk. Store dried apricots airtight in a cool place, where they keep for months, and give hardened ones a soak to revive. Fresh apricots, in early summer, should be fragrant and give slightly to the touch; they bruise and spoil quickly, so buy ripe fruit and use it within a day or two.
Cook's tips
- Use dried apricots for tagines; their tang is lighter than prunes against rich meat.
- Add them toward the end so they plump but keep their shape.
- Soak very dry apricots briefly to help them swell.
- Their acidity means you may need less added honey or sugar than with prunes.
- Finish an apricot tagine with toasted almonds for crunch against the soft fruit.
Questions about cooking with Apricots
Do Moroccan recipes use fresh or dried apricots?
Almost always dried apricots, which hold up well in a braise and bring a tangy-sweet note to lamb and chicken tagines. Fresh apricots have a short early-summer season and are mostly eaten out of hand or made into jam. When a Moroccan recipe calls for apricots in a tagine, it means the dried fruit.
How are apricots different from prunes in a tagine?
Apricots are brighter and tangier, giving a lighter, more golden sweet-savoury sauce, while prunes are darker, richer and more treacly. Both plump into slow-cooked meat, but apricots' gentle acidity cuts through the richness a little more, so you may need less added sweetener. Choose apricots for a fresher note, prunes for deeper, rounder sweetness.
When should I add apricots to a tagine?
Add dried apricots toward the end of cooking, so they plump in the sauce and soften while keeping their shape. Adding them too early risks them dissolving. A short soak beforehand helps very dry apricots swell. Give them long enough to release their sweetness into the sauce but not so long that they fall apart.
Which dried apricots should I buy?
Choose soft, plump, pliable apricots rather than hard, leathery ones, which are old and stay tough. Naturally dried apricots are darker brown, while sulphured ones stay bright orange; both work for cooking, so pick by softness and flavour. They are sold loose by weight in Moroccan markets, so you can often judge and even taste before buying.
How do I store dried apricots?
Keep them airtight in a cool, dry place, where they last for months. If they harden, a short soak in warm water or tea revives them. Store them away from strong smells and moisture. Fresh apricots, by contrast, bruise and spoil within a day or two, so buy them ripe and use them promptly.
Cook these dishes with a local in Marrakech
Learn to handle apricots the Moroccan way in a hands-on cooking class, or taste it across the medina on a guided food tour.