Harissa
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
5 mins
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Cook Time
40 mins
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Total Time
45 mins
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Servings
1 cups
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Calories
187 kcal
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Course
Side Dish
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Cuisine
Middle Eastern
Harissa
Description
Harissa begins by roasting whole red bell peppers and Fresno chilies, which softens them and enhances their natural sweetness. Additional chipotle peppers are soaked to provide a subtle smoky note if desired. Toasted cumin and coriander seeds add warm aromatic depth to the blend. Garlic is also roasted along with some chilies, contributing pungency and sweetness. Lemon juice and tomato paste introduce acidity and richness, while olive oil helps create a smooth texture. The combination of these ingredients produces a flavorful paste with smoky, spicy, and slightly tangy characteristics.
The stepwise roasting of peppers ensures the bell peppers develop softness and a charred edge, while Fresno chilies become tender and collapsing to release their heat and flavor. Toasting the spices intensifies their aroma, and blending everything creates a cohesive paste. This harissa can be stored in olive oil to maintain freshness.
Harissa is versatile and can be used as a condiment, mixed into stews, spread on bread, or dolloped onto grilled meats and vegetables to enhance flavor. It's a staple in North African cuisine, offering both heat and complexity to meals.
Use kitchen gloves to handle the hot peppers safely. Roasting times are important for achieving the right texture and flavor development.
Ingredients
- 2 whole bell pepper red
- 7 whole fresno chili pepper they look like red jalapeños (you may substitute 5 red serrano peppers
- 2 chipotle peppers adds a slight smoky flavor - if you do not want it smoky, substitute 3 additional fresh Fresno chilis, dried
- 8 cloves garlic divided
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for storing
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place the bell peppers and Fresno chili peppers on the sheet along with 4 of the garlic cloves. Place in the oven and let the peppers and garlic roast for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dried chipotle peppers with very hot water in a small bowl. Let the chipotles soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
- After roasting for 10 minutes, turn the Fresno chill peppers and garlic cloves with tongs. Continue to roast for another 10 minutes until Fresno chilis are soft and collapsing.
- Take the Fresno chills and garlic cloves off the baking sheet with tongs and set aside.
- Turn the bell peppers over with tongs and continue to roast in the oven for another 20 minutes.
- While bell peppers are roasting, pour the spice seeds into a pan and heat over medium, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until they are toasted and fragrant (watch carefully so they don’t burn).
- As soon as the seeds are toasted, remove them from the skillet and pour into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind the spices to a powder. Reserve.
- When the bell peppers are soft and collapsing with the skin blackened in places, remove from the oven. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and let the peppers steam for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stem and seed the Fresno chills (if a few seeds cling to the peppers it's ok). Wear gloves during this process to protect your skin from the capsaicin and a burning sensation. Remove and discard any loose pieces of the thin, blackened pepper skin. Reserve the seeds.
- When the bell peppers have steamed for a few minutes, stem and seed them. Peel off the charred skin. Discard the skin, stem and seeds. Drain the soaked chipotles and chop them into small pieces.
- Place the roasted peppers in a food processor along with the 4 roasted and 4 raw garlic cloves, ground spices, tomato paste, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and chopped soaked chipotles.
- Process the ingredients, scraping the sides of the food processor periodically, until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add a little more olive oil for a more liquid texture, if desired. The mixture will be very spicy as written, but if you want to take it over the top you can add in some of the reserved Fresno pepper seeds and process again (use gloves). The seeds are extremely spicy, so add with care! Note: if you want to do this the old fashioned way, you can pulverize the mixture together using a large mortar and pestle. This will give you a chunkier, more traditional texture.
- Serve harissa as an accompaniment to meat dishes, couscous, soups and stews, or anyplace you want a spicy kick.
- When ready to store, place in a sealed container and top with a thin layer of olive oil (this helps to preserve the sauce). Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Use kitchen gloves when handling hot peppers to protect your skin.
- A baking sheet lined with foil helps catch drippings and eases cleanup.
- To avoid smoky flavor, substitute chipotle peppers with additional fresh Fresno chilies.
- Storing harissa submerged in olive oil extends its shelf life and preserves flavor.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 1cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 187 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 187kcal | 9% |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 7% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 2085mg | 87% |
| Potassium | 394mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 1555IU | 31% |
| Vitamin C | 19.4mg | 22% |
| Calcium | 72mg | 7% |
| Iron | 3.3mg | 18% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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