On the heels of talking about shakshuka last week, I thought we should dive deep into harissa, the spice mixture that gives the dish nuance and soul. You can buy it in a tiny can a la tomato paste, a jar, a tube, or as a blend of dry spices. You can also make it yourself.
The spiced heart of harissa is cumin and coriander seed, and to my mind, caraway. Garlic is often added. When found as a dry, powdered spice blend, it may also contain paprika and occasionally cinnamon.
There are infinite variations. But to me, the best harissa comes in paste form. Dry spice blends sometimes include paprika, which is made of dried and ground peppers and therefore acts as a substitute for fresh peppers. So why not just make your own fresh paste, since we have such an abundance of fresh chiles in our markets? Although you can turn dry blends into pastes by adding olive oil and a bit of water, making the paste version means you get greater flavor and body thanks to fresh or rehydrated dry peppers/chiles. The ground mass of peppers combines with olive oil to create a moist base that allows the spices to bloom, and thus create the deeply flavored spoonable condiment.
You can choose how hot or mild you want the paste to be by your choice of chiles. Using dried chiles gives a lot of opportunity to expand flavors. Sohla El-Waylly’s recipe curates dry chiles (with an explanation as to why she chooses the chiles she does) into a powder, then rehydrates them with oil. Here is Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for rose harissa. You might want to start with the simplest of recipes like this one. He uses guajillo chiles, omits caraway, and adds vinegar at the end.
Once you have the paste, which is known for its intense flavor, use it in traditional dishes like shakshuka. It can also be a boost to roasted vegetables, a flavor bomb in sauces or dressings, or a rub on proteins.
There are dry spice blends called harissa. Photo by Shutterstock.
Ready-made harissa
You can find most of these brands at local gourmet food shops.
Belazu Rose harissa
The Ottolenghi name-checked brand is made with rose water and rose petals.
Harissa du Cap Bon
The classic, made-in-Tunisia version comes in many sizes and in tubes.
Moulins Mahjoub
This is made in Tunisia and is medium spicy.
Mina
This is a saucy Moroccan version.
Villa Jerada
This Moroccan version is made with preserved lemons.