Harissa, the basic flavoring agent in Tunisian cuisine, is extremely versatile. Use it as a condiment for grilled meat or fish, add it to roasted vegetables, or stir into stews and soups. We particularly like it with couscous or rice. Adjust the amount of heat by increasing or reducing the number of chiles. Just remember, it is meant to be hot!
Ingredients
Makes about 1 small jar<br/> About a generous 3/4 cup / 200 ml)
Preparation
Step 1
Place the pepper under a very hot broiler, turning occasionally for about 25 minutes, until blackened on the outside and completely soft. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool. Peel the pepper and discard its skin and seeds.
Step 2
Place a dry frying pan over low heat and lightly toast the coriander, cumin, and caraway seeds for 2 minutes. Remove them to a mortar and use a pestle to grind to a powder.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and fry the onion, garlic, and chiles for 10 to 12 minutes, until a dark smoky color and almost caramelized.
Step 4
Now use a blender or a food processor to blitz together all of the paste ingredients until smooth, adding a little more oil if needed.
Step 5
Store in a sterilized jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or even longer.
Leave a Review
Reviews (10)
Back to TopI followed this one pretty much straight up, but for one change: I didn't saute the onions or garlic. And I added a touch of white wine vinegar and a half teaspoon of sugar. Spicy, savory, and the sugar softened it a bit. Nice and smoky, too. I liked that a lot.
Michael
Portland, OR
2/7/2022
True Marissa does not use tomato.. but this still sounds good.
DustinBess
Tucson, Arizona
7/12/2019
Good recipe but not spicy as I like harisa. I'll keep the chili and pepper seeds next time.
uffehellum
denmark
8/3/2017
I LOVE this recipe - harissa is fantastic to put on cauliflower, too, and then pop into the oven to roast. Roasting peppers under the broiler in your oven does take pretty much exactly 25 minutes. Put peppers on a lipped baking sheet lined with foil, and place oven rack so that the peppers are 8 or 9 inches below the broiler elements - this lets them get perfectly soft and they don't char too fast. Set oven to broil on high, put those peppers in, and rotate a quarter every five minutes. They're going to turn pretty black and blistery. Once roasting is done, I put the pan on top of the oven and cover the peppers with a big ceramic mixing bowl for about 10 minutes - steams the peppers and helps the skin peel off more easily. Works like a charm.
lonestarlola
Dallas, TX
5/4/2017
This harissa is not f-ing around. I used 4 chilis and left the seeds intact because we like it spicy. Otherwise, followed the recipe to a T. Smoky wowee wow wow.
chloroph
NY
3/14/2017
I made this sauce for a recipe that requires harissa. Couldn't find any at the grocery store so I thought I'd try my hand at making it. It's really simple to make and deliciously spicy. I'll definitely keep this one around. I'll probably use part of it for my recipe and then use the rest for salsa!
acetken
7/12/2016
25 minutes under a broiler? Really?
glc203
6/3/2015
Good stuff. Spicy, sweet and very flavorful, it was great on falafel (My Favorite Falafel recipe also on this site).
jenncc
Los Angeles
10/20/2014
Once I made it, I put it on everything!
QURE
Portlandia
4/16/2014
I have made this twice. The first time exactly as written, the second time I added half a habanero pepper to make it really spicy. My friend also made it and it tasted different because she used a jarred roasted red pepper (I actually liked hers a little better). It's very good alongside meat.
gemstraws
Oregon
12/15/2013
