Moroccan · Snack
Huevos Haminados (Slow-Cooked Brown Eggs)
Huevos haminados are the long-cooked eggs of the Sephardic table — simmered for hours, often with onion skins for colour, until the whites turn a soft creamy brown and the flavour deepens and mellows. Cooked alongside or within the Shabbat dafina, they are eaten peeled with salt, tucked into stews, or served with bread.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 360 min
- Total
- 365 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- Skins of 4–5 onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Water, to cover
Method
- 1
Layer the pot
Line a pot with a layer of onion skins, nestle the eggs in and cover with more skins.
- 2
Add liquid
Add the oil, salt and pepper and pour in enough water to cover the eggs generously.
- 3
Cook very slowly
Bring to a bare simmer, then cook on the lowest heat (or in a low oven) for 6 hours or overnight, topping up water as needed.
- 4
Cool
Let the eggs cool in their liquid to take on the deepest colour.
- 5
Peel and serve
Peel the browned eggs and serve with salt, in a stew, or alongside bread.
Chef's tips
- Onion skins give the classic amber-brown shells and creamy tint; save skins over the week to have enough.
- The very long, gentle cook is what makes the whites soft and the flavour mellow — don't rush it.
- Cooked inside a dafina, the eggs absorb the stew's flavours and are considered a special treat.
Frequently asked questions
Why cook eggs for so long?
The extended low cook, traditional for Shabbat, changes the texture to silky and the taste to mellow and nutty, quite different from an ordinary hard-boiled egg.
Can I add coffee or tea?
Some cooks add a little coffee or tea to the water for extra colour and depth, but onion skins alone give the traditional result.