Moroccan · Main course
Berber Wild Fennel & Lamb Tagine
Wild fennel grows all over the Moroccan countryside, and Berber cooks throw great handfuls of its feathery fronds and stalks into a lamb tagine, where it perfumes the meat with a sweet aniseed greenness. Simple and aromatic, it's a foraged spring dish that turns cheap cuts fragrant.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 100 min
- Total
- 115 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 800 g lamb, cubed
- 2 large bunches wild fennel (fronds and tender stalks), chopped
- 2 onions, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 preserved lemon, sliced
- 1 handful green olives
- Salt and pepper
Method
- 1
Brown
Sear the lamb in oil, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt and pepper.
- 2
Braise
Add water to come halfway up, cover and simmer 70 minutes until the lamb is nearly tender.
- 3
Add fennel
Pile in the chopped wild fennel, cover, and cook 20 minutes until it wilts down and softens.
- 4
Finish
Add the preserved lemon and olives and reduce the sauce.
- 5
Rest
Let it settle a few minutes so the aniseed aroma mellows into the meat.
- 6
Serve
Serve hot with bread.
Chef's tips
- Wild fennel is milder and greener than the bulb; use the fronds and thin stalks, not tough stems.
- If you can't forage wild fennel, use the fronds from bulb fennel plus a pinch of fennel seed.
- The fennel cooks down a lot — use more than seems sensible.
Frequently asked questions
Is wild fennel the same as fennel bulb?
They're related, but wild fennel has no bulb — you use the aromatic fronds, flowers and slender stalks, which are more herb than vegetable.
Can I use fennel seeds instead?
Seeds alone give the aniseed note but not the fresh green body. Combine fennel-bulb fronds with a pinch of seed for the closest result.