Martha Rose Shulman's Harissa
Updated March 7, 2024
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus 1 hour’s soaking
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2ounces dried guajillo chilies, or a combination of guajillos and other hot dried chilies, like Japanese chilies or chiles de arbol
- 2ounces dried Anaheim or pasilla chilies
- 4garlic cloves, green shoots removed
- ¾teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
- ½teaspoon coriander seeds, ground
- 1½teaspoons salt
- 3tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
191 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 98 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Wear rubber gloves to seed the chilies. Take the stems off and remove the seeds. Place in a bowl and cover with hot or boiling water. Place a small plate or a lid over the chilies to keep them submerged in the water. Soak for 1 hour, and drain.
- Step 2
Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic. When it is all chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down. Add the drained chilies, the spices and the salt. Process until everything is chopped. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Turn on again, and with the machine running add 2 tablespoons water and the olive oil. Process until the mixture is smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Step 3
Transfer the sauce to a jar. Wipe the inside edges of the jar with a paper towel, then pour on a film of olive oil to cover the harissa. Top with a lid and refrigerate. The harissa will keep for 6 weeks in the refrigerator if you top it up with olive oil after each use.
Private Notes
Comments
It is difficult to know what chiles to use in this recipe. Mexican chiles have different names when fresh and when dried. A guajillo is a dried mirasol, so 'dried guajillo' is redundant. A pasilla is a dried chilaca. An anaheim becomes a colorado or a california when dried. Chile de árbol is the exception, as the name is used for both fresh and dried.
Only guajillo chilies is too sweet. Half guajillo half arbol works well, or even 1 third guajillo 2 thirds arbol is my favorite. I did not have Pasilla chillies so I used Ancho chilies (sometimes they are mislabeled anyways) Great harissa.
It is difficult to know what chiles to use in this recipe. Mexican chiles have different names when fresh and when dried. A guajillo is a dried mirasol, so 'dried guajillo' is redundant. A pasilla is a dried chilaca. An anaheim becomes a colorado or a california when dried. Chile de árbol is the exception, as the name is used for both fresh and dried.
Only guajillo chilies is too sweet. Half guajillo half arbol works well, or even 1 third guajillo 2 thirds arbol is my favorite. I did not have Pasilla chillies so I used Ancho chilies (sometimes they are mislabeled anyways) Great harissa.
This was the best of the harissa recipes we tried. It has quite good flavor, but it wasn't very hot. We ended up adding some chipotle pepper flakes to recipes where we used the harissa, and it was fabulous. A definite keeper!
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