If you’ve read Basically or Bon Appétit for even a short period of time, you’ve certainly seen us mention harissa. It’s a peppery condiment that—to put it mildly—we have quite the liking for. If you were to peek into the fridges of any of our staff members, you’d find a jar or two hanging out on the door. But what is harissa, this condiment we use with such frequency and gratitude? Great question.
Harissa originally hails from Tunisia and has become a cornerstone of many Tunisian, Israeli, Moroccan, Libyan, and Algerian dishes. It’s a chile paste made from a variety of dried chile peppers (ranging from very hot to mild) that are rehydrated then blended with olive oil, spices (usually toasted for a more intense flavor), and, sometimes, garlic. Harissa varies widely: Sometimes it's smoky from the addition of roasted fresh chiles; sometimes it's sharp and tangy from citrus juice and/or vinegar; sometimes it's loose saucy; other times it's thick and pasty.
Photo by Chelsie Craig
While you can certainly make harissa at home, it’s also widely available at grocery stores. But before you grab a jar off of the shelf, there are a couple things to keep in mind. First, many brands that make harissa have hot and mild varieties. You obviously already know what these distinctions mean: If you want more spice, go for the hot. If you want sweeter, more floral pepper flavor with minimal heat, go for the mild.
But within each brand, the hot and mild versions will have different levels of spice. There isn’t an industry-wide unit of measurement for how spicy harissa is. The best way to control for spiciness is to find a brand you like and use it exclusively (within reason, of course). If you find yourself face to face with an unfamiliar brand, taste it before you add it so that you don't end up with a dish that's inedibly hot (or more mild-mannered than you'd prefer).
Second, look for brands that list peppers as the first ingredient. Harissa can sometimes be cut with tomato product, and that's not what you want. (When in doubt, we go with the brand NY Shuk.)
