Harissa

User Reviews

5.0

12 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    5 mins

  • Cook Time

    5 mins

  • Total Time

    45 mins

  • Servings

    1 cups

  • Calories

    187 kcal

  • Course

    Side Dish

  • Cuisine

    Middle Eastern

Harissa

A fiery Middle Eastern chili garlic sauce with roasted chili peppers, bell peppers, garlic, toasted spices & chipotle for a hint of smoky flavor.

I Made This!

Be the first!

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings
  • 2 whole red bell peppers
  • 7 whole Fresno chili peppers they look like red jalapeños (you may substitute 5 red serrano peppers)
  • 2 dried chipotle peppers adds a slight smoky flavor - if you do not want it smoky, substitute 3 additional fresh Fresno chilis
  • 8 cloves garlic divided
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for storing
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Add to Shopping List

Instructions

  1. 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. 
  2. Cover the dried chipotle peppers with very hot water in a small bowl. Let the chipotles soak while you prepare the other ingredients.
  3. 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.
  4. Take the Fresno chills and garlic cloves off the baking sheet with tongs and set aside.
  5. Turn the bell peppers over with tongs and continue to roast in the oven for another 20 minutes.
  6. 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).
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Serve harissa as an accompaniment to meat dishes, couscous, soups and stews, or anyplace you want a spicy kick.
  14. 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

  • You will also need: Baking sheet, foil, kitchen gloves, medium bowl, skillet, food processor

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Calories 187kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 22g (7%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 2085mg (87%) Potassium 394mg (11%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 1555IU (31%) Vitamin C 19.4mg (22%) Calcium 72mg (7%) Iron 3.3mg (18%)

Nutrition 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.

Genuine Reviews

User Reviews

Overall Rating

5.0

12 reviews
Excellent

Write a Review

Drag & drop files here or click to upload
Other Recipes

You'll Also Love

Harissa Eggplant Recipe

Middle Eastern
5.0 (135 reviews)

Harissa Hummus

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
5.0 (9 reviews)

Baby Hasselback Potatoes with Harissa Tomato Sauce

American, Middle Eastern, Swedish
5.0 (30 reviews)

Labneh Dip With Harissa-Spiced Cherry Tomato Sauce

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
5.0 (12 reviews)

Barley Pilaf Recipe With Harissa

Middle Eastern
4.7 (9 reviews)

Harissa roasted cauliflower recipe

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Moroccan
5.0 (15 reviews)

Fattoush salad

Middle Eastern, Lebanese
5.0 (9 reviews)

Hashweh

Middle Eastern
5.0 (6 reviews)

How to Cook Couscous

Middle Eastern
5.0 (213 reviews)

Fattoush Salad

Middle Eastern
5.0 (21 reviews)

Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra)

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Lebanese
5.0 (1,305 reviews)

Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini

American, Middle Eastern
5.0 (267 reviews)

Homemade Pita Bread

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
5.0 (651 reviews)

How to Cook Basmati Rice

American, Middle Eastern
5.0 (51 reviews)

Grilled Halloumi

Greek, American, Middle Eastern
5.0 (15 reviews)