Every once in a while a dish comes together so effortlessly, I almost feel silly posting the recipe. Way too easy. No fancy chef tricks involved at all. This spicy harissa shrimp is one of those but, it was so good, I decided I had to share it with you.
Harissa is a North African spice blend composed of red bell peppers, spicy chili peppers, garlic, herbs and seasonings. You can challenge yourself a little more than I did and make your own, if you like. There are plenty of great recipes out there. However, I generally keep a store bought jar handy for the last minute burst of flavor I like to add to a lot of dishes. I love it on roasted chicken, pork and even with eggs. It’s so complex, spicy and a bit sweet. I sometimes make a yogurt mint sauce to accompany and mellow out the harissa.
This shrimp dish didn’t need any yogurt sauce. I tamed the spice with acidity from the lemon juice and zest I added and then served it over wild rice. The wild rice, with it’s slightly firm natural texture, was a perfect compliment. Go ahead and whip this dish up for dinner any night of the week. However, consider yourself warned. You may become a bit obsessed with harissa.
Note: Wild rice takes about an hour to cook so factor that into your prep time if you decide to use it.
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tbsp harissa (I used Mina Spicy Harissa)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped plus extra for garnish
- zest and juice of ½ large lemon
- ¼ tsp salt or more, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup wild rice (I used Lundberg Countrywild), optional
- Cook wild rice according to package directions
- Combine shrimp, harissa, garlic and parsley in a bowl and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes
- Add lemon zest, juice and salt to shrimp and toss to spread evenly
- Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil when hot
- Add shrimp and marinade into sauté pan and cook through until shrimp is no longer opaque and marinade begins to stick to the pan, about 6-8 minutes
Hi Jackie… I found this recipe online and what a pleasant surprise to see you used our harissa! Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to try it. I also want to try it with Mina Green Harissa.
We love Mina Green Harissa too!
Hi Jackie, I followed you over from Beyond Celiac. This recipe, as well as many others on your site look absolutely delicious!
I’ll be sharing this particular one on my site for Celiac Awareness Day.
So glad to have found your wonderful site. Thank you!
Welcome and thank you so much!
Hi Jackie, I have tried many shrimp recipes, but didn’t make the recipe with rice. Can I make it without spicy?