If you’re looking for a condiment that multitasks and tastes stand-alone delicious, then look no further than harissa. Harissa is a smoky red pepper sauce traditionally used in North African cuisine. You may know it as a fiery one-note paste sold in a tube, or as a jarred red sauce with a salsa consistency.
Essentially, harissa is a paste or puree of red peppers and chiles combined with other ingredients, such as garlic, citrus, and spices. Its nuances, heat, and flavor will vary from cook to cook, influenced by the choice of peppers and aromatics.
How to Use Harissa
- Marinate skirt or flank steak or chicken thighs in the sauce, then grill over indirect heat.
- Drizzle harissa over roasted vegetables, eggs, grilled meats, and fish steaks, such as swordfish or halibut.
- Use it as a dip for pita chips, veggies, or meatballs. Or mix a spoonful into other dips such as tzatziki and hummus for a punch of flavor.
- Add a dollop or two to soups, ragouts, and stews as a secret flavor-boosting ingredient.
- Elevate your prepared rice or couscous to the next level with a swipe of harissa and a shower of chopped herbs and lemon zest.
When making the sauce, be sure to toast and grind the whole seeds. This extra step imparts a fantastic flavor, deeper than if you use pre-ground spices.
For best flavor and consistency, roast fresh peppers. If using jarred roasted peppers, be sure to drain them well. Note that the finished sauce will be soupier and sweeter with jarred peppers than if you roast your own. If you prefer more heat, you can choose not to seed the chile peppers—it’s up to you!
The harissa sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. The flavors will develop once they’ve had a few hours or a day to meld. And while you’re at it, you might want to make a double batch. Chances are that it will be gobbled up.
Harissa
Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 red jalapeño chiles, seeded, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Toast the cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic and beginning to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar with pestle or a spice grinder and grind the seeds to a fine powder.
Combine the peppers, seeds, chiles, garlic, tomato paste, oil, salt, and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process to blend. Taste for seasoning.
Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until use. The flavors will develop with time. Store for up to one week.