Şakşuka with Olives
The classic aubergine, pepper and tomato meze, with black olives folded in.
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Cuisine
- Turkish
First, a name to untangle, because the confusion is common: in Türkiye, şakşuka is a meze of fried aubergine and courgette in tomato sauce, served cold. The shakshuka of North African and Levantine cooking is eggs poached in tomato sauce, served hot. The same name, two entirely different dishes — this page is the Turkish one.
The olives are not traditional here but an addition, bringing a salty counterpoint to the sweet-sour base of the sauce. The softness of the fried vegetables, the acid of the tomato, the salt of the olives and the coolness of the yoghurt — four different directions on one plate.
Directions
- Soak the aubergine in salted water for 15 minutes and squeeze dry; this removes bitterness and cuts oil absorption.
- Heat half the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the aubergine and courgette over medium heat until golden at the edges. Lift onto kitchen paper.
- Cook the peppers in the same pan and set aside.
- Soften the garlic in the remaining oil, add the grated tomato and simmer until reduced.
- Add the salt and sugar, then stir the olives into the sauce.
- Arrange the vegetables on a plate and spoon the sauce over.
- Serve at room temperature with garlic yoghurt.
Tips & storage
Don't skip the salting. Steeping the aubergine in salted water and squeezing it does more than remove bitterness; because the cell structure tightens, it absorbs noticeably less oil when fried. Olive oil is the expensive ingredient in this recipe — don't waste it.
Kitchen paper is essential. Arrange the vegetables straight from the pan without draining and the sauce floats on the oil, leaving a greasy plate.
Fry the vegetables separately. Thrown in together they drop the pan temperature, so they steam instead of frying and soak up oil.
Sugar in the sauce, always. Half a teaspoon rounds off the sharpness of the tomato. With tinned tomatoes you may need a little more.
Add the olives late. Simmered a long time they surrender their salt to the sauce and turn bland themselves. Stir them in for the last few minutes.
The yoghurt can be served separately. Poured over, it looks better but keeps worse; if there will be leftovers, serve it alongside.
Storage. Three days in the fridge without the yoghurt; better on the second day.
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