Spiced Lamb Burger with Date & Olive Labne on Couscous Cake
I don’t know about you, but when I think of Morocco, by brain immediately envisions the spice markets of Marrakech. I imagine the smells and sounds and I am invigorated and ready to get cooking
Morocco is located in Northern Africa bordering both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to the coastal lands, Morocco has administrative control over much of Western Sahara. While the U.S. recognizes this sovereignty officially, the UN does not. Even without Western Sahara, Morocco has huge diversity of climate, starting with Mediterranean climate in the north and transitioning to hot dry desert in the south. In addition to the variety of climates, Morocco also enjoys a variety of global influences – it has been at one time under the control of Spain, then France, and it is currently a bridge to Europe for many Sub-Saharan Africans.
With all of these influences, what in the world are we going to eat? As I mentioned at the beginning, spice, spice and spice. Layers of spice, depth of flavor, it’s all about blending to make food come to life.
Lamb was the obvious meat choice (although I tried the burger with ground chicken as well, but lamb blended with the spices better). Mixing spices into the meat mixture allowed the lamb to absorbed the complex rich flavors of the spices. I made a really tasty couscous cake with dried fruit and cinnamon that worked well with the burger, but if you want to simplify, we also tried the burger in a pita and it was good (not as good, but tasty).
Because preserved foods have such a strong history in Morocco, combining labne with dates and olives was a natural and added a little sweet and a little salty to the whole dish. Lovely fresh herbs bring it all together for a burger that has lovely sweetness with complex spice flavors that bring me right back to the spice markets of Marrakech.
If you like this burger, try the Iraq Burger, it’s one of my favorites!
©Copyright 2025 Linda Monach
Moroccan Burger
Ingredients
Couscous Cake
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 3/4 cup Couscous uncooked
- 3 Tbsp Golden Raisins
- 4 Dried Turkish Apricots
- 1 teas Kosher Salt
- 1/3 cup Garbanzo Bean Flour can substitute all purpose flour
- 1 Large Egg Beaten
- Olive Oil
Date & Olive Labne
- 1 Cup Labne
- 3 Dates 1/4" Dice
- 10 Kalamata Olives
Moroccan Burger
- 1 Tbsp Ras el Hanout
- 1 teas Ground Cumin
- 1 teas Kosher Salt
- 1 teas Ground Coriander
- 1/4 teas Ground Cinnamon
- 1 lb Ground Lamb
- Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Mint Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley Chopped
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro Chopped
Instructions
Couscous Cake
- Bring chicken stock and cinnamon stick to a boil.
- Stir in couscous, raisins, and apricots. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool. (This can be done ahead of time, just keep at room temperature until ready to use).
- Remove cinnamon stick.
- Add flour, egg and salt. Mix well.
- Form 4 discs approximately 1/2" thick.
- Heat oil in a nonstick pan until shimmering.
- Fry couscous cakes in oil until nicely browned
Date & Olive Labne
- Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Stir before using.
Moroccan Burger Recipe
- Combine spices and mix well.
- Add 2T of spice mixture to ground lamb.
- Form four patties.
- Heat Olive Oil in non stick pan until shimmering.
- Cook lamb burgers over medium high heat until desired temperature.
- In a small bowl, mix chopped herbs together.
- To Serve: spread Date & Olive Labne on the Couscous Cake (or pita bread), add the lamb patties, spread more labne on top then add herbs and serve.
Notes
