This Harissa Shrimp is a quick dinner that’s bursting with smoky, zesty, exotic flavors.
It’s easy enough to go in your regular rotation, but unique and special enough to impress guests with.
The next time you’re looking for a culinary journey, take your taste buds to the lands of North Africa…
Lately, we have really been getting into the harissa craze. We just can’t get enough of that bold, unique flavor.
First we made our own Harissa Paste. Then we baked up an amazing one pot Harissa Chicken dinner.
Having recently gotten a new cazuela, I wanted something special to cook in it. That’s when I started dreaming about harissa shrimp…
What is Harissa
Harissa is a chili pepper paste from North Africa, which can range from quite mild to super spicy.
Whatever the spice level, Harissa has a complex flavor, combining the flavor of peppers with smoky, sweet, and tangy.
Recently it has started gaining popularity in the west, so much so that jarred harissa is readily available in many supermarkets.
It can be used in a variety of ways. We love it as a marinade, as well as an add in for sauces, like in this recipe.
Ingredients
- Shrimp – We like jumbo shrimp for this recipe.
- Harissa paste – You can use store bought. Just make sure to get a good brand, and choose a spice level appropriate to your palate. Or you can make my Homemade Harissa, which only takes about 10 minutes, and is made from ingredients you can find in the ethnic section of most supermarkets.
- Cherry tomatoes and tomato paste
- Honey
- Onions
- Garlic
- Parsley
How to Make Harissa Shrimp
Start by cooking the cherry tomatoes and onions in olive oil. Sauté for about 10 minutes, till they start to soften up.
Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, till it gets a little fragrant.
Add in harissa paste, tomato paste and honey. Mix well. Simmer until the sauce thickens up and the oil begins to separate, at least 15 minutes.
Stir in the shrimp and parsley. Cook for a few minutes, until the shrimp are just cooked through. Taste and adjust for salt.
How to Serve Harissa Shrimp
We love it with some nice bread, like our No Knead Bread.
It’s also great over white rice, or Moroccan couscous. We can see it going well tossed in pasta, or over a pile of grits. Hmm, harissa shrimp and grits. That sounds like a potential upcoming post…
Leftovers and Storage
You can refrigerate leftover harissa shrimp in an airtight container for 2-3 days. When reheating, you may wish to add in a little extra water.
This can also be frozen in an airtight container. Use within two months for best quality.
Put this super flavorful harissa shrimp skillet on your menu for the upcoming week. It’s so easy, yet the flavors are out of this world delicious. It has definitely become one of our favorite harissa recipes.
There are so many varied foods to try in the world. Bringing those dishes to your kitchen is what GypsyPlate is all about.
Harissa Shrimp, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great shrimp recipes!
Shrimp Creole with Sausage
Indian Shrimp Korma
Blackened Shrimp and Grits
Shrimp fra Diavolo
Tacos Gobernador
Spanish Garlic Shrimp
Hunan Shrimp
Harissa Shrimp
This Harissa Shrimp is a quick dinner that’s bursting with smoky, zesty, exotic flavors.
It’s easy enough to go in your weeknight dinner rotation, but unique and special enough to impress guests with.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup harissa
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet or cazuela over medium high heat. Add onions and tomatoes. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, till it gets a little fragrant.
- Add in harissa paste, tomato paste and honey. Mix well. Simmer until the sauce thickens up and the oil begins to separate, at least 15 minutes.
- Stir in the shrimp and parsley. Cook for a few minutes, until the shrimp are just cooked through. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 312Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 239mgSodium 1235mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 2gSugar 10gProtein 28g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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