Moroccan Harissa Butter
Whipped butter, harissa, bloomed spices and preserved lemon, rolled and chilled.
A compound butter built to be melted over things that have been near fire. The spices are bloomed first, the butter is whipped before anything goes into it, and it is tasted and corrected before it is rolled.
500 g
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, softened500 g
- Harissa paste80 g
- Garlic, clove, microplaned1 each
- Smoked paprika1 tsp
- Ground cumin0.5 tsp
- Ground coriander0.5 tsp
- Cinnamon0.25 tsp
- Lemon zestof 1 lemon
- Preserved lemon, brunoise, optional but exceptional1 tbsp
- Honey or palm sugar1 tsp
- Fresh lemon juice1 tsp
- Coriander, chopped1 tbsp
- Mint, chopped1 tbsp
- Sea salt flakes1 tsp
- Olive oila few drops
Method
Lightly bloom the cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika in a tiny splash of olive oil for 20 to 30 seconds. Cool slightly.
Whip the softened butter until it is airy and pale.
Fold in the harissa, the bloomed spices, the garlic, the lemon zest, the preserved lemon, the honey, the lemon juice, the herbs and the salt.
Taste carefully. If it needs brightness, more lemon. If it is too aggressive, more butter. If it is flat, a pinch more salt or honey.
Roll into logs in parchment, or vacuum seal into cylinders.
Chill until firm.
Chef’s notes
- Where it earns its place: melted over coal roasted lamb shoulder, brushed onto grilled calamari, folded into lentils, mounted into lamb jus, dotted onto saffron couscous, or melted over charred carrots and pumpkin.
- For a deeper version, fold in a spoon of burnt orange reduction, use roasted garlic confit instead of raw garlic, whisk in a little lamb fat, and finish with toasted coriander seed powder.
Keeping
Rolled into logs or vacuum cylinders and chilled until firm, as the recipe says. DUKAI storage guidance for how long: at 5°C or below it holds for a week, and it freezes well in the log, which is the better answer for a 500 g batch.
Allergens and diet
Milk.
Also in the Recipe Book
Last refined · September 2026