BELAZU Tagine Paste (170g)

Tagine paste is a ready-made Moroccan-style cooking base. Fried onion, tomato, preserved lemon and both sweet and smoked paprika, cooked down together so you can build a tagine without assembling a spice rack. The short version of how to use it: brown your meat or vegetables, stir in two tablespoons per four people, add stock to barely cover, then leave it alone on a low heat.

Belazu’s Tagine Paste is a rich, smoky, and bold Moroccan-style paste that captures the authentic flavours of North Africa. Made with smoked paprika, preserved lemons, and tomato paste, this tagine paste offers a unique combination of sweetness, umami depth, and citrusy brightness. The inclusion of pickled lemons gives it a slightly salty and tangy edge, creating a perfectly balanced condiment for adding depth to a variety of dishes. This paste is ideal for those who love complex, layered flavours and wish to bring the warmth of Moroccan cuisine to their home cooking.

Crafted with a blend of fried onions, rapeseed oil, Mediterranean tomato paste, fresh coriander, and parsley, this paste provides a rich base that’s both aromatic and full-bodied. The primary flavour note is the smoky paprika, which complements the tanginess of preserved lemons, making it perfect for tagines, stews, and marinades. Belazu’s Tagine Paste is designed to be versatile, so you can use it in countless ways, from traditional Moroccan tagines to experimental dishes with a modern twist. Its authentic ingredients and expertly crafted balance of spices give this paste a unique depth, allowing even the simplest ingredients to shine.

For those who enjoy experimenting with Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, this tagine paste pairs beautifully with other Belazu products, like the Pomegranate Molasses or the Black Olive Tapenade. These condiments, with their own rich, fruity, and spiced profiles, complement the tagine paste, allowing you to create more intricate and layered dishes. Consider pairing it with Belazu’s Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a traditional dressing or marinade.

What is tagine paste?

A wet spice base rather than a dry rub. Where a ras el hanout is ground spice, this is already cooked out in oil with onion and tomato, so it goes straight into the pan without the twenty minutes of frying that a raw spice mix needs. The preserved lemon is what makes it read as Moroccan rather than as a generic tomato base.

How do you use Belazu tagine paste?

Two tablespoons for four people is the working measure. Brown lamb, chicken thighs, chickpeas or root vegetables first, stir the paste through for a minute so it catches, then add stock, cover and go slow. It also works as a marinade thinned with oil and lemon, and stirred through couscous or yoghurt at the end. Five uses, with timings, are in Belazu tagine paste: a 20 minute tagine and four other uses.

What is in it?

Fried onions, rapeseed oil, Mediterranean tomato paste, fresh coriander and parsley, salt, sweet paprika, preserved lemons, smoked paprika, garlic puree, dried cumin, dried coriander, dried parsley and citric acid. It is not a chilli paste and it is not hot.

What can I use instead of tagine paste?

There is no single swap, because the paste is doing three jobs at once: the onion and tomato base, the spice, and the preserved lemon. The nearest build from things we stock is smoked paprika and cumin with a chopped Belazu preserved lemon and, if you want heat, a spoon of smoked chilli harissa. It will take longer and it will not taste the same.

Which recipes use it?

Beef tagine with Belazu tagine paste is the straight one. Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is the lighter one. Once open, keep the jar refrigerated and use it within four weeks.