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Meat, South and mountains

Marseille style pieds paquets with steamed potatoes

Pieds paquets is a Marseille classic made of lamb tripe parcels and trotters simmered in tomato sauce, serving 4, ready in 4 hours, medium difficulty, for €3.80 per serving. The key to success is the very slow cooking that makes the tripe tender, along with the garlic and bacon stuffing tucked inside each parcel.

A true Marseille classic, lamb tripe parcels stuffed with bacon and garlic, slow simmered in tomato sauce with lamb trotters.

Marseille style pieds paquets with steamed potatoes
Total time
4 h
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.80
Calories per person
580 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall

Pieds paquets is one of Marseille's most iconic dishes, still found at tripe shops around the Old Port. The lamb tripe parcels, stuffed with bacon and garlic, simmer for hours alongside the trotters in a tomato sauce that eventually coats the whole dish. The result is tender, deeply flavored, with that particular texture of tripe that doesn't resemble anything else.

This is a Sunday dish, or one for a day with no rush, the kind you start early and let simmer while you get on with other things. Mon Chou suggests it for family meals or gatherings with friends who enjoy offal, best made in fall or winter, when you have the time and the craving for something that cooks low and slow.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • lamb tripe parcels 12
  • lamb trotters 4
  • fatty bacon or salt pork 150 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • onions 2
  • carrots 2
  • garlic 4 cloves
  • parsley 6 sprigs
  • potatoes 800 g

Pantry

  • crushed tomatoesoften in the pantry 400 g
  • dry white wineoften in the pantry 25 cl
  • olive oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

The step by step recipe

  1. Chop the bacon with the garlic and parsley, then tuck a little of this stuffing into each tripe parcel.

    Close the parcels with a toothpick or kitchen string.

  2. Sauté the onions and carrots in the olive oil, add the trotters and parcels, then deglaze with the white wine. 10 min

    Let the wine reduce fully to cook off the acidity.

  3. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and a glass of water, cover and let simmer over very low heat. 3 h 30

    The slower the cooking, the more tender the tripe becomes.

  4. Half an hour before the end, steam the peeled potatoes. 25 min

    Salt them right after cooking so they keep their flavor.

  5. Serve the parcels and trotters piping hot with their sauce and the steamed potatoes.

    A splash of pastis in the sauce is the Marseille cooks' secret.

Our tips to get it right

  • Choose trotters and tripe already cleaned and blanched by your butcher, it skips a tedious step and keeps the flavor milder.
  • Check doneness by poking a parcel with a fork after 3 hours 30 minutes, the tripe should give way easily, otherwise keep simmering on low.
  • Keep some liquid in the pot throughout the 4 hours of simmering, add hot water if the sauce reduces too fast.

The variations

  • Swap the fatty bacon for smoked bacon for a stuffing with more bite.
  • For a faster version, use a pressure cooker, the simmering time drops to about 1 hour 30 minutes under pressure.
  • Serve just the parcels without the trotters for a simpler version if you're short on time to clean them.

What to serve it with

  • A chilled glass of Provence rosé
  • A simple green salad to start
  • Crusty country bread for the sauce

Storage

Pieds paquets keep for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and freeze well for up to 2 months in their sauce. Reheat gently in a covered pot or saucepan so they stay tender without catching.

Questions about this dish

Can you buy the parcels already prepared from the butcher?

Yes, most tripe butchers will stuff the parcels on request and clean the trotters for you. That's Mon Chou's tip for saving an hour of prep at home.

Can pieds paquets be made a day ahead?

Yes, it's actually recommended, the dish tastes even better after resting overnight in the fridge. Reheat it gently covered the next day before serving.

Why add a splash of pastis to the sauce?

Pastis brings a subtle anise note that echoes the dish's Marseille roots. Stir it in right at the end of cooking, just before serving.

What if you can't find lamb tripe?

Beef tripe can replace lamb tripe, though the flavor will be slightly stronger. Ask your butcher for advice on adjusting the cooking time if needed.

How long does it take to make Marseille style pieds paquets with steamed potatoes?

Count 4 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in Marseille style pieds paquets with steamed potatoes?

About 580 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does Marseille style pieds paquets with steamed potatoes cost?

About €3.80 per serving, or €15.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains none of the major allergens tracked by Mon Chou. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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