Harissa Prawns Moroccan Influenced Garlic Shrimp

Harissa prawns with butter, garlic and sumac are a delicious, spicy, quick and easy recipe with Moroccan influences that everyone will love.

This recipe uses large tiger prawns for an extra luxurious treat and can be cooked and prepared in 15 minutes, and only 10 minutes more if you have to prepare the shrimp!

Garlic Harissa Shrimp

When it comes to quick dinners seafood is a wonderful and simple option that many are intimidated by.

There is no reason for the fear, cooked quickly over a high heat and you end up with perfectly cooked seafood every time.

Prawns are one of my favourite choices, whether I am cooking bbq prawns on the grill, a quick Indian prawn curry, a speedy Thai-influenced prawn stir fry with noodles, Spanish gambas pil pil or Chinese-influenced Szechuan prawns, they are a firm favourite for me!

My latest offering leans again on spice and some Moroccan influences, these garlic harissa prawns are simply stunning.

Large shrimp cooked in lots of butter, rose harissa paste, loads of garlic and some sumac. Simplicity is often the best way to go with seafood.

The kicker, it is all done in 15 minutes if you use prepared prawns and still under half an hour if you need to prepare them yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do prawn sizes mean?

There are two ways prawns and shrimp are ‘sized’. HOSO and PDTO, the first is head on shell on, the second is peeled deveined and tail on.

These are then broken down into sizes, such as 8-12 which refers to the number of prawns per pound.

Can I use smaller prawns?

Yes, but they will take less time to cook!

For instance, the size 22-24 shrimp I use in this squid ink spaghetti with shrimp recipe will take around 3 minutes to cook.

What is sumac?

It is the dried and ground berry of shrub and it is delicious. It has a wonderfully tart flavour and can be used as an ingredient in cooking and sprinkled on top of food as you would with salt.

Do I have to use rose harissa?

No, regular harissa will work well too! I like the floral tones of rose harissa and I use one made by Belazu if you want to steer in a direction.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve those garlic harissa prawns with some simple herby buttered couscous. I also top them with some diced, deseeded tomato and even toss some green beans into the pan on occasions.

They work equally well with a classic tabbouleh salad or even some plainly cooked herby bulgur wheat.

If you wanted something a little more hearty my roasted vegetable couscous, giant couscous salad and my sweet potato tagine would compliment these shrimp perfectly.

Finally, if you are after some green veggies, think about something like this air fryer garlic asparagus or some roasted tenderstem broccoli.

Equipment Used

I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I think that it makes a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• 28cm or 11″ frying pan of skillet.
• Mixing bowl.
• Measuring spoons.
• Chopping board.
• Sharp kitchen knife.
• Paring knife if you need to prepare the prawns.