Greek Easter Offal and Herb Soup (Magiritsa)

Magiritsa exists to do one specific job: break seven weeks of Lenten fasting at the precise moment Easter is declared, just after midnight on Holy Saturday, when Greek households return from church and sit down to the first proper meal of meat since before Lent began. It uses the offal and inner organs of the lamb whose leg and shoulder are being saved for the main Easter Sunday feast the next day, so almost nothing goes to waste across the two days.

The ingredient list will be unfamiliar to a lot of home cooks: lamb liver, heart, and often the cleaned intestines, simmered with a huge quantity of spring onion, dill and lettuce, then finished with the same egg and lemon avgolemono liaison used across Greek cooking. It is a dish built on genuine culinary craft rather than convenience, and it rewards a butcher who can supply and prepare the offal properly.

If offal itself is a hard no in your household, a version made with just lamb liver and heart, leaving out the intestines, is a completely legitimate simplification that keeps the spirit and flavour of the dish while asking less of the cook.

Key preparation steps

1. Simmer lamb offal until tender, then chop it finely.
2. Sauté a large quantity of spring onion, then wilt in dill and lettuce.
3. Simmer everything together in the offal cooking broth.
4. Finish with a generous avgolemono, off the heat, just before serving.

Sourcing and preparing the offal

Lamb liver and heart are the two essential components, and cleaned lamb intestines are the traditional addition for a fully authentic version, though they need thorough cleaning, usually done by the butcher, before they reach your kitchen. Ask specifically for magiritsa offal at a good butcher around Easter, since many will have it ready-prepared at exactly this time of year.

Simmer the offal in plenty of water with a bay leaf until tender, which takes around forty-five minutes, then lift it out, chop it finely, and keep the cooking liquid, since that broth becomes the base of the soup itself.

Building the herb base

A very large quantity of spring onion, both white and green parts, sautéed slowly in olive oil until soft, is the backbone of magiritsa's flavour, well beyond what most Western soups would use. Fresh dill, added generously, is the second defining flavour, and shredded lettuce, usually a cos or romaine type, is stirred in for body and a subtle sweetness.

This is a soup where the vegetables are not a garnish, they are close to half the substance of the finished dish, alongside the chopped offal.

The avgolemono finish

As with any avgolemono, take the pot fully off the heat before you begin. Beat eggs vigorously with lemon juice, then temper the mixture gradually with hot broth from the pot, a ladleful at a time, before pouring the tempered mixture back into the pot and stirring gently to combine.

Never let the soup return to a boil once the egg has gone in, since it will split and turn grainy rather than staying silky. Serve immediately once the avgolemono is stirred through.

What matters in this dish