---
title: "Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder with Preserved Lemon and Olives"
created: 2024-09-12 11:00
author: Amelia Fontaine
keywords: lamb, braise, preserved lemon, olives, North African, slow cooking
description: A North African-inspired lamb shoulder braise with the science of why slow cooking transforms tough cuts, served with couscous. Recipe for six.
---

# Slow-Braised Lamb Shoulder with Preserved Lemon and Olives

Lamb shoulder is one of those cuts that rewards patience so generously you wonder why anyone would rush. It is inexpensive, flavourful, and absolutely requires the low-and-slow treatment — braising over three to four hours — to surrender its considerable potential. At high heat it is tough and unpleasant. Given time and liquid, the collagen in its connective tissue converts to gelatin, and the result is meat that pulls apart easily, silky and rich, in a sauce of deep complexity.

This preparation is North African in spirit, though not strictly authentic to any one cuisine. The combination of preserved lemon, olives, coriander, and saffron is Moroccan in temperament; the method is classical French. The two coexist happily.

## Ingredients (serves 6)

**For the lamb:**
- 2kg bone-in lamb shoulder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch saffron, steeped in 2 tbsp warm water
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300ml lamb or chicken stock
- 1 preserved lemon, pulp discarded, rind finely sliced
- 150g pitted green olives (Castelvetrano work well)
- Salt and black pepper

**To serve:**
- 400g couscous
- 30g unsalted butter
- A large bunch of fresh coriander
- Pomegranate seeds (optional but excellent)
- Plain yoghurt

## Method

**Day before (if possible):** Season the lamb shoulder generously all over with salt. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. This dry brine improves the crust and seasons the meat throughout.

**Searing.** The single most important step for flavour. Pat the lamb completely dry. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole or Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Sear the lamb on all sides — do not rush this — until deeply browned, almost mahogany, on all surfaces. This takes 10–12 minutes total. Remove and set aside.

The Maillard reaction is happening here: amino acids and sugars on the surface of the meat are combining under heat to create hundreds of new flavour compounds. You cannot get this depth of flavour from poaching or slow-cooking from raw. The sear is not about sealing in juices (that is a myth); it is about creating new ones.

**Building the braise.** Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan, cook the onions in the residual fat with a pinch of salt for 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and all the spices; cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the saffron with its soaking water. Add the tomatoes and stock, scraping up all the browned bits from the pan.

Nestle the lamb back in, fat-side up. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat — add more stock or water if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer.

**Braising.** Cover tightly and transfer to an oven set to 160°C. Braise for 3–3.5 hours, turning the lamb once at the halfway point. The meat is done when it yields completely to gentle pressure and a probe thermometer reads above 90°C in the centre.

**Adding the preserved lemon and olives.** In the last 30 minutes of braising, add the preserved lemon rind and the olives. These are added late to preserve their bright, assertive flavours — too long in the braise and they lose their character.

**Finishing.** Remove the lamb to a warm dish. Skim the fat from the surface of the braising liquid. If the sauce is thin, reduce it over high heat for 5–10 minutes on the stovetop. Taste for seasoning.

## The Couscous

Pour 400g couscous into a large bowl. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp olive oil. Pour over 420ml boiling water. Cover tightly with cling film for 5 minutes. Uncover, add the butter, and fluff with a fork. Stir through most of the coriander.

## Serving

Bring the whole casserole to the table if possible. Pull the lamb apart with two forks — it should offer no resistance. Serve on a bed of couscous, ladled with sauce, scattered with remaining coriander, pomegranate seeds if using, and a spoonful of yoghurt alongside.

## Notes

This improves overnight. The flavours deepen and the fat congeals, making it easy to remove completely from the surface before reheating gently. Leftovers make an extraordinary filling for flatbreads with harissa and more yoghurt.

The preserved lemon can be made at home (and should be — it takes 10 minutes to prepare and four weeks to mature) or found in any Middle Eastern grocery. Do not skip it: no other ingredient produces exactly that combination of brininess and preserved citrus intensity.
