Harissa is a spice mix used in Tunisian cuisine, and can be used on everything from vegetables to soups to rice or couscous. This Harissa recipe uses the famous New Mexican Red Hatch Chiles, which are roasted and peeled to make this delicious spice.
- 3 fresh* or frozen Hatch Red Chiles (any variety of red chile will do!)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 6 hot red chiles, (use super hot peppers like Carolina Reaper if you want wicked hot Harissa, or use hot peppers like Goat Horn Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, or fruity flavored peppers liek the Habanero Caribbean Red, or Thai Hot peppers – any pepper will do!)
- Juice from one lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Roast and peel chiles, removing the seeds (you can blacken their skins on a grill, or over a gas burner to blister the skin and roast the pepper to make it easier to peel).
Toast the seeds and herbs in a pan on low heat, then grind them with a mortar to grind them into a powder. Heat the olive oil, fry up the chiles, garlic and onion for 10 minutes until it turns dark and carmelized. Then let cool and put into a food processor or blender and process until smooth, adding more oil if needed to get the right consistency. Put into a clean jar and store in your fridge for 2-3 weeks. It shouldn't last that long, though, as you'll be eating it on everything! :)
Grow your own Hatch Red Chile,
check out all of our Hatch red chile seeds »
