Harissa Sauce Recipe
This spicy harissa sauce recipe is made with a variety of fresh roasted peppers and a mix of aromatic seasonings, great for rice, meats, veggies and more.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Course: Main Course, sauce
Cuisine: African, American
Keyword: harissa, roasted peppers, spicy
Servings: 8
Calories: 65kcal
- 2 red bell peppers
- 2 serrano peppers or other peppers - see recipe notes
- 1 hot pepper optional - habanero is great for extra heat
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds or use 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon caraway seeds or use 1/4 tsp ground caraway
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or use 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- Salt to taste 1/2 teaspoon or more is good
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil vegetable oil, canola oil
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon or more to taste (+ zest, if desired)
Roast the Peppers. Preheat oven to broil. Set the peppers onto a baking sheet (aluminum foil will make for easy cleanup), skin sides up, and broil for 5-10 minutes, until the skins are blackened and blistered, turning every few minutes to evenly roast the peppers. Check after 5 minutes and remove the smaller peppers as needed. They will char faster.
Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover them with plastic or a paper towel, or place them into baggies or paper bags to let the skins steam and loosen. Peel away the skins and discard them.
Set the roasted peppers into a food processor.
Heat a small pan to medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds and dry toast them for 1-2 minutes, shaking the pan a bit, until the seeds become fragrant.
Transfer the seeds to a mortar along with the paprika, chili flakes, mint and salt. Grind them down with a pestle. Skip this step if using ground instead of seeds.
Pour the spice mixture into the food processor with the roasted peppers. Add the fresh garlic, oil and lemon juice. Process until smooth. Adjust for salt to taste.
Adjust for a thinner sauce with a bit more oil or water. Use immediately, or top with a bit of oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1159IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg