Middle Eastern Harissa Shrimp

I had shrimp down and I wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to fix it. We just had pasta, so I didn’t want to serve it over pasta. But shrimp is one of those very versatile ingredients that lends itself to many different, delicious recipes. I finally decided to make it Middle Eastern, with a spicy tomato-harrisa sauce. I served it over a combination of red lentils mixed with couscous, with warmed pita bread on the side. It was just perfect. Just what I wanted. 🙂

Harissa is a smoky, savory paste used in a lot of Middle Eastern cooking. It is believed to have originated in Tunisia, in the 16th century, when chili peppers were introduced to North Africa from the Americas. The peppers were first grown in Tunisia’s Sharīk Peninsula in the 17th century. The name “harissa” comes from the Arabic word harasa, which means “to crush” or “pound”. This refers to how the dried peppers are broken down with a mortar and pestle or a mincer to make the paste.

Harissa is traditionally made by pounding chili peppers with garlic, cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds, then blending the paste with olive oil. Harissa is used as a condiment and a base for curries and stews. It’s a staple in North Africa, with regional variations in Algeria and Morocco. The modern way to make it is much easier though. Just put everything into the food processor and pulse until it forms into a delicious paste. This way saves a lot of time, energy and effort. 🙂 Harissa comes in 3 different forms – powder, paste and sauce. As with any spice blend, the recipe and the proportions of ingredients mixed together vary from region to region. Mine this time was more like a sauce, than a paste, especially since I added more tomatoes and some tomato paste as well.

Middle Eastern Harissa Shrimp

The Harissa

I’ve made harissa before, quite a few times too. Some Tunisian Tastes – Part 1 – Steak With Harissa It goes well with anything you want to spice up a bit and make a little more exotic. This time, I roasted both my bell peppers and my jalapenos, to give it an even a smokier taste.

2 red bell peppers, seeded

1 large jalapeno, seeded

1 TBSP garlic

salt to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 TBSP lemon juice and/or lemon balsamic vinegar

3 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP lemon olive oil, optional

1-2 tsp Za’atar seasoning, optional

Put everything together in the food processor and process until it is all blended together in either a paste or a sauce.

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp or prawns, peeled, deveined and rinsed

2 TBSP tomato paste

2 TBSP red wine vinegar

2-3 TBSP harissa sauce/paste

2 cups tomatoes, chopped

1 TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

2 tsp dried mint

1 zucchini, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

Get a large skillet very hot, and add olive oil. I also added a bit of red pepper oil too, for some extra heat. Saute the onions, garlic and zucchini for about 5-7 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the heat and seat aside to keep warm.

In the same pan, adding more oil if needed, saute the shrimp for about 5-7 minutes, or until completely cooked. Remove from the heat and deglaze the pan with little red wine.

Combine the harissa sauce, tomato paste, mint, red wine vinegar and seasonings. Add to the pan, along with the tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Re-add both the vegetables and the shrimp and mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

You can serve it over whatever you like, but I tried to stick with a Middle Eastern theme and served it over a combination of red lentils and couscous. For dishes like this, I prefer using the pearl couscous. I liked the textures and flavors of both the lentils and the couscous together too.

Because this is a big bold, red, spicy sauce, even though it is a shrimp dish, I served it with a smooth Portuguese red blend wine (one of my favorite table wines, from Costco). Delicious! It was something different and exotic, without much effort at all.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to all. Make them merry and bright, and stay safe and well. ‘Til next time.