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272 recipes

Escavèche

Escavèche is a speciality of the Chimay and Couvin area in southern Wallonia, a legacy of Spanish rule in the 16th century: fish fillets, traditionally eel or pike, fried and then covered with a hot marinade of vinegar, onion, thyme and bay that sets into a clear, tangy jelly as it cools. It is eaten cold, sliced, with crisp fries, in the brasseries of the Botte du Hainaut. A common mistake is not cooking the fish through before it goes into the marinade; cold marinade does not cook it. Chef's tip: let it set for at least 12 hours in the fridge; the vinegar mellows and the jelly firms. The fish should be opaque and flaking before marinating.

55 min

Belgian Fish

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Kletskoppen

Kletskoppen are the lacy, crackly biscuits of Bruges, sold in the old city's bakeries and served with coffee in the cafés around the Markt: brown sugar, butter and chopped almonds with very little flour (this version uses none), baked until they spread into thin, see-through, toffee-flavoured lace. A common mistake is putting them too close on the tray; they spread enormously and join up. Chef's tip: let them cool for a minute on the tray before lifting, and drape them over a rolling pin while still warm if you want curved tuiles.

30 min

Belgian Baking

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Caricoles

Caricoles are the whelks sold hot in paper cups from street carts in Brussels, at the Marolles flea market, the Place Sainte-Catherine and the Christmas market: the sea snails are simmered for an hour in a peppery broth with celery, onion, thyme, bay and a lot of black pepper and chilli, and you pick them out with a toothpick and drink the broth. Buy whelks live or freshly cooked from a fishmonger. Live whelks should be tightly closed inside their shells or retract when touched; throw away any that smell bad or have broken shells, and any that stay open and limp after cooking. A common mistake is skipping the purge, which leaves them gritty. Chef's tip: soak live whelks in salted cold water for an hour and rinse them several times, then start them in cold broth so they don't toughen.

90 min

Belgian Fish

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Truite à l'ardennaise

The rivers of the Belgian Ardennes, the Semois, the Ourthe and the Lesse, are trout country, and every inn in Bouillon and La Roche serves truite à l'ardennaise: a whole trout fried in butter until golden and finished with strips of jambon d'Ardenne, the smoked, cured pork ham of the region, crisped in the same pan. This dish contains pork. It is served with boiled potatoes or fries and a green salad. A common mistake is adding the ham at the start, which makes it hard and salty. Chef's tip: dust the trout with seasoned flour so the skin crisps, and add the ham only for the last 2 minutes. The trout is done when the flesh is opaque and lifts off the backbone.

30 min

Belgian Fish

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Flamiche dinantaise

The flamiche of Dinant is eaten only one way: straight from the oven, so hot it burns the fingers, as the townspeople say. It is a rich, wobbly tart of strong fresh boulette or Herve-style cheese beaten with eggs and plenty of butter on a thin yeasted base, and Dinant's 'Confrérie de la Flamiche' still holds an annual tasting. Boulette and Herve cheeses are usually made with animal rennet; a strong vegetarian soft cheese mixed with fromage frais works. A common mistake is letting it cool; it sets and loses its creaminess. Chef's tip: serve it the moment the top puffs and turns golden.

60 min

Belgian Vegetarian

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Sirop de Liège

Sirop de Liège is the sticky, almost black fruit spread of the Pays de Herve and Liège, made each autumn by cooking apples, pears and dates for hours, pressing out the juice and boiling it down until it sets like soft liquorice. It is spread on bread with soft cheese, stirred into the sauce for boulets liégeois and served with cheese boards. A common mistake is stopping too soon; it should coat a spoon thickly and set firm when cooled. Chef's tip: cook it very slowly in a heavy pan in the last hour, stirring often, as it catches easily once thick.

570 min

Belgian Chutneys & Dips

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Filet américain

Despite its name, filet américain is a Belgian classic, served in Brussels brasseries with a mound of fries, or spread on a baguette as the famous 'broodje américain': very fresh lean beef, finely minced and mixed with mayonnaise, mustard, capers, chopped onion, parsley and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, so it is creamy and tangy. The beef is eaten raw, so it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Buy a whole piece of the freshest steak from a trusted butcher, trim it and mince it yourself just before serving; never use ready-minced beef. A common mistake is preparing it in advance; make it and eat it at once. Chef's tip: chill the meat and the bowl well and mix with a fork, not a processor, so it stays loose. Use shop-bought mayonnaise, which is made with pasteurised egg.

20 min

Belgian Meat

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Salade liégeoise

Salade liégeoise is the warm salad of Liège, eaten as a main course in the city's brasseries in summer when green beans are in season: just-cooked green beans and waxy potatoes tossed while warm with onion softened in butter and a sharp vinegar dressing, scattered with parsley. In Liège it is made with crisp bacon lardons; this version leaves them out and adds a fried egg on top for a fuller meal if you like. A common mistake is dressing cold vegetables, which don't absorb the vinegar. Chef's tip: deglaze the onion pan with the vinegar, then pour it straight over the hot beans and potatoes.

30 min

Belgian Salads

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Bouquettes liégeoises

Boûkètes are the buckwheat pancakes of Liège, sold at the Christmas market and eaten at home on New Year's Day: a yeasted batter of buckwheat and wheat flour studded with raisins, fried in butter into thick, nutty little pancakes and served with brown sugar or sirop de Liège. A common mistake is a hot pan; the outside burns before the thick middle cooks. Chef's tip: let the batter rise for an hour until bubbly, then fry over a medium-low heat with plenty of butter.

45 min

Belgian Breakfast & Brunch

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Konijn met pruimen

Rabbit with prunes is the Sunday dinner of Flemish grandmothers, from the Westhoek to the Kempen: rabbit joints browned in butter or oil, then braised slowly with onions, thyme, bay and a bottle of brown or abbey-style beer, with prunes added for sweetness and a spoon of mustard for bite. It is served with fries or boiled potatoes and apple sauce. This recipe is cooked with beer, as it traditionally is; for an alcohol-free dish, use the swap in the ingredient note. A common mistake is boiling the rabbit, which makes the lean meat dry and stringy. Chef's tip: keep it at a gentle simmer under a lid, and add the prunes in the last 30 minutes so they stay whole.

150 min

Belgian Meat

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Jan in de zak

Jan in de zak, 'John in the bag', is the old Flemish farmhouse pudding cooked for Shrove Tuesday and winter Sundays in West and East Flanders: a soft yeasted dough with raisins and currants tied up in a floured cloth and boiled for hours, then sliced and fried in butter and eaten with brown sugar or treacle. It is the Flemish cousin of Dutch 'Jan in de zak'. A common mistake is tying the cloth tightly, which leaves no room for the pudding to swell and makes it dense. Chef's tip: tie the cloth loosely, leaving room for the dough to double, and keep the water at a steady simmer.

180 min

Belgian Desserts

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Paling in 't groen

Paling in 't groen, 'eel in green', is the old riverside dish of the Scheldt valley between Antwerp and Ghent, served in summer in cafés along the river at places like Hamme and Lillo: pieces of eel cooked briefly in butter, then simmered in a vivid green sauce of sorrel, spinach, chervil, parsley, tarragon, mint and sage, thickened with egg yolk. It is eaten hot or cold with fries or bread. European eel is critically endangered, so buy only eel from a legal, responsibly managed source, cleaned and skinned by the fishmonger, or use thick pieces of another firm, oily fish such as mackerel. A common mistake is cooking the herbs for long, which turns the sauce khaki. Chef's tip: add the herbs only for the last 3 minutes, then bind with yolk off the heat. The fish is cooked when firm and opaque at the bone.

60 min

Belgian Fish

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Garnaalkroketten

Along the Flemish coast, from De Panne to Knokke, the North Sea grey shrimp is king, and garnaalkroketten are the dish every seaside restaurant is judged by: a molten, creamy shrimp-flavoured béchamel packed with little brown shrimps, set firm, crumbed and fried until golden, served with fried parsley and lemon. In Oostduinkerke, shrimp fishers on horseback still drag their nets through the shallows. A common mistake is a béchamel that isn't thick enough, so the croquettes burst in the oil. Chef's tip: make a strong shrimp stock from the shells, if you have them, for the béchamel, and chill the mix overnight so it is firm to shape. The shrimp are already cooked; fry until golden and hot through.

90 min

Belgian Snacks & Starters

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Cougnou

Cougnou, also called cougnolle or bommetje, is the Christmas bread of Wallonia, given to children on Christmas morning: a soft brioche shaped like the infant Jesus in swaddling clothes, with a little clay or sugar medallion pressed into the middle, eaten with hot chocolate. Bakeries in Namur and Charleroi make them from early December. A common mistake is shaping them too small, which dries them in the oven. Chef's tip: make three balls, one large for the body and two small for the head and feet, pressed together tightly so they bake as one.

65 min

Belgian Baking

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Mitraillette

The mitraillette, 'submachine gun', is the overloaded sandwich of Brussels friteries, eaten after football or a night out: half a baguette split and stuffed with a hot meat patty or sausage, a heap of double-fried Belgian fries, lettuce and tomato, and a generous squeeze of sauce, usually andalouse, samurai or mayonnaise. It is messy and huge. This version uses a homemade beef burger. A common mistake is fries that are not crisp, which go soggy in the bread. Chef's tip: fry the chips twice, first at 160 °C until soft, then at 180 °C until golden, the Belgian way. Beef burgers must reach 71 °C in the middle.

40 min

Belgian Fast Food

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Cramique

Cramique is the Sunday breakfast loaf of Brussels and Wallonia: a soft, golden brioche packed with raisins, bought from the bakery on Sunday morning and sliced thickly with salted butter. Its sister, craquelin, swaps the raisins for pearl sugar. A common mistake is adding the raisins at the start of kneading, which tears the gluten and turns the dough grey. Chef's tip: soak the raisins in warm tea for 20 minutes, then knead them in only at the end, gently.

75 min

Belgian Baking

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Lukken

Lukken are paper-thin, crisp waffle biscuits baked in West Flanders, around Kortrijk and Roeselare, in the days before New Year, when children go from house to house wishing neighbours a happy new year and are rewarded with them. They are made in a special iron that presses a fine pattern; a pizzelle iron or a thin-waffle (gaufrette) iron works. A common mistake is using too much batter, which makes them thick and soft. Chef's tip: use only a teaspoon of dough per biscuit and roll them while warm if you like, for 'rolled lukken'.

60 min

Belgian Baking

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Couque de Dinant

Couques de Dinant are the famously hard honey biscuits of Dinant on the Meuse, made only of flour and honey, pressed into carved wooden moulds showing castles, animals and the town's skyline, and baked so hot that the honey caramelises into a very hard, glossy biscuit. Dinant bakers say they keep for years; locals let a piece melt slowly in the mouth rather than biting. Honey is traditional; golden syrup makes a vegan version. A common mistake is a soft dough; it must be stiff enough to hold the mould's detail. Chef's tip: dust the mould with flour, press hard and tap the dough out sharply.

60 min

Belgian Baking

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Qodban

Smoke rising off long braziers marks the qodban sellers of Marrakech, who thread lamb cubes with little pieces of fat so the meat bastes itself over the coals. Cumin, paprika, grated onion and parsley go on before grilling; more cumin and salt go on after. The result is charred and juicy, fragrant rather than fiery, and eaten straight off the skewer, wrapped in khobz with a little harissa and tomato. Leg or shoulder of lamb both work. Chef's tip: alternate every two pieces of lean meat with one small piece of fat; it melts as the skewer turns and keeps the lean pieces moist.

28 min

Moroccan Meat

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Babbouche

After dark in Marrakech's great square, the babbouche stalls are recognisable by their steaming cauldrons and the toothpicks laid out by every bowl. Small land snails simmer in a dark broth of liquorice root, aniseed, thyme, caraway, bitter orange peel, chilli and a bundle of herbs that sellers say has fifteen ingredients, believed to soothe the stomach and warm you on a cold night. You pick the snails out with a toothpick, then drink the peppery, herbal, faintly sweet broth. At home, buy live snails sold for cooking, already purged by a reputable seller, discard any with broken shells or that do not move or retract when touched, and cook them through for at least 45 minutes. Chef's tip: keep the spices in a muslin bag; the broth stays clear and you avoid crunching on seeds.

90 min

Moroccan Soups

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Djaj mhammer

Mhammer means reddened or browned, and that final colour is what sets this Rabat and Fez favourite apart from a tagine. The bird is first poached in a little water with butter, garlic, saffron, cumin and paprika, so the meat soaks up the spices and stays juicy, then it goes into a hot oven to crisp and turn burnished while the cooking liquid reduces into a rich, buttery sauce. Moroccan families serve it at weddings and on Eid with olives, preserved lemon, fried or roasted potatoes and bread. Chef's tip: keep the poaching liquid at a gentle shiver, not a boil; boiling tightens the meat and the skin splits before it ever browns.

100 min

Moroccan Chicken

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Mrouzia

Families make a big pot of mrouzia in the days after Eid al-Adha, partly as a treat and partly as a way to keep meat: cooked down with honey, smen and spices until almost confit-like, it keeps for days, and in the past for weeks. The lamb is very tender and dark, coated in a thick, sweet-spiced sauce heavy with ras el hanout, cinnamon and saffron, with plump raisins and fried almonds on top. Serve small portions with bread and a sharp salad to balance the richness. The usual mistake is adding the honey too early, so it catches and turns bitter before the lamb is tender. Chef's tip: add the honey only once the meat is tender; added early, it scorches on the base during the long cook.

150 min

Moroccan Meat

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Seafood pastilla

The sweet pigeon pastilla belongs to Fez; along the northern coast, from Tetouan to Tangier and down to the Atlantic towns, the savoury seafood version is what turns up at weddings and Ramadan dinners. Thin warqa pastry wraps a filling of prawns, white fish and squid, rice vermicelli and plenty of chermoula, the lemony herb, garlic, cumin and paprika marinade, and the pie is baked until it shatters at the touch. Inside it is juicy, tangy and a little spicy. Serve it hot, cut into wedges, with a green salad. Filo works if you cannot find warqa or brick pastry. Chef's tip: drain the cooked filling in a sieve for 10 minutes before you fill the pie; wet filling is what makes a soggy base.

120 min

Moroccan Fish

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Eggs with khlii

Old Fassi households keep a jar of khlii in the cold for exactly this: a spoonful of its spiced fat warmed in a small pan, a few strands of the dried beef crisped in it, then eggs cracked straight on top. The whites set lacy and savoury from the cumin and coriander in the fat, the yolks stay soft, and the beef shards turn chewy-crisp like the best bacon bits. It is eaten on a weekend morning or on a cold day with warm khobz or msemen torn into the pan, alongside mint tea. Use khlii made by our safer oven-dried, fridge-stored method, and if you cook for anyone pregnant, very young or vulnerable, fry the eggs until the yolks are firm. Chef's tip: warm the khlii fat gently before the eggs go in; too hot and the meat burns bitter before the whites have set.

13 min

Moroccan Breakfast & Brunch

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