How to Make Green Harissa

Today, I’ve got another one for you from my (unofficial) fridge door series – an incredibly delicious green harissa paste. This vibrant, spicy North African condiment is built on chiles, herbs, aromatics, and olive oil. This version nixes the red chiles in favor of green jalapeños (hence the name).

Plus, I’ve got a My Kitchen Little trick here for you that makes this version of harissa paste very ingredient-accessible and streamlined for simplicity and easy. Read on to learn a little more about this wonderful stuff (truly, the world o’ food is SO much better for it), or simply jump ahead to the recipe.

What is Green Harissa?

Firstly, it’s the MOST delicious thing. Once you make it, you’ll see. Harissa works well as a condiment and/or sauce. It plays just as nicely with rich, savory meats as it does with light seafood dishes and roasted vegetables.

To start, we should probably explain what Harissa is – and then get into the greener side of things.

Where is harissa from?

Harissa is a fiery and flavorful chili paste that hails from Tunisia, but can be seen featured in dishes all over Northern Africa and Israel as well. It is truly a superstar condiment and something that I tend to keep in my fridge door more often than not. Built on a tasty combination of toasted spices, verdant green herbs and alliums, spicy chilies, a burst of acid (lemon, typically), and olive oil, green harissa is something special.

To learn more about Tunisian and North African cooking, I’d recommend checking out this helpful post or this cookbook.

Are whole spices better than ground?

Depends, really. Whole spices aren’t pleasant in the mouth (bad mouthfeel, one might say), but their larger size makes it possible to manipulate them – in this case, toast them. You can still “bloom” or toast ground spices in a pan with hot oil, absolutely. But your best best for achieving a great depth of flavor from your spices – really make the absolutely most of them – is to start with whole spices (cumin and coriander today), and then ground them yourself.

Think of it like coffee. It’s always the most delicious, fresh, and flavorful when you grind the beans right before you brew them. Same goes for spices and nuts.

How do you toast spices?

Harissa is made even better when the spices are warmed and toasted before they go into the mix. This is such a simple thing to do, and is actually the best way to employ whole spices in most any application. Same goes for nuts but that’s a different post, I suppose. 

To toast your spices

Put them directly into a dry skillet set over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, let them absorb the heat and turn a very light golden brown color. 

The golden rule of toasting spices, (pun intended) is to let the aroma be your guide. As soon as you can smell them, they’re basically done. Your nose knows, as my grandmother used to say. Transfer the toasted spices to a cooler place and store until needed or use right away. 

What should I serve Green Harissa with?

The short answer is basically whatever you want. But really, that’s up to you. In Tunisian cooking, this stuff is truly indispensable, like, say … gochujang and kimchi in Korean cooking and maybe ketchup in American cuisine. It is served in and on so many North African dishes and is considered a true staple in the cuisines of Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and even Israel.

I like to incorporate it in dishes that involve fatty, roasted meats as I think the spice really balances things nicely. It’s also amazing on a charcuterie board, grazing platter, or crudite spread as well.

But I think my favorite way to serve this is with seafood. This was inspired by a recent dining experience I enjoyed at a local eatery, Wiki Wiki Sandbar on Folly Beach, SC. I thoroughly enjoyed their “Sandbar Steamer,” which I’ve recreated for the home cook and will be sharing the recipe in a fun upcoming project. They used a great green harissa in their steamed platter of goodness, and man did it ever bring things to life.

Steamed dishes are incredibly healthy, as there is no fat or oil used as a cooking medium. So, you reduce calories there for sure (but also flavor). A great way to make up for that is by cleverly weaving in super flavorful components to the dish that add flavor, color, and excitement.

This green harissa is the PERFECT way to do that, and I loved the version I had at Wiki Wiki.

Ingredients in this Green Harissa paste

Two tsp whole coriander seeds

2 tsp whole cumin seeds

Two cups cilantro leaves

2 cups parsley

Two scallions

1 tsp fresh minced garlic

½ salt (or to taste)

¼ cup pickled jalapeños

⅓ cup olive oil, plus more as needed

How to make this Green Harissa Paste

• Put the cumin and coriander seeds into a dry skillet set over medium heat.
• Toast them, stirring occasionally, until fragrant; about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a high-speed blender.
• Add the cilantro, parsley, scallions, garlic, salt, jalapeños, olive oil, and 2 tbsp water. Blend on the highest speed until very smooth. You want to make sure the seeds are very pulverized. You can add more/less of any ingredient to suit your taste/texture preferences. 
• This harissa will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to three weeks. 

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