Harissa Shrimp with Black Rice is an easy and delicious combination of flavor, texture and color and ready in less than 30-minutes!
This semi-spicy shrimp and rice dish rocks! The black Forbidden rice cooks in pineapple juice and coconut milk, offering a sweet contrast to the Tunisian/ Moroccan Harissa red pepper sauce!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick and Easy - marinate then bake the shrimp; serve over black rice
- Use fresh or frozen shrimp
- Great flavor - perfect complementary flavors : semi-spicy shrimp in pineapple/coconut infused black rice
You can use fresh or frozen shrimp for this recipe. If you use fresh, peel and devein them first.
If you use frozen shrimp, rinse them and allow them to thaw before marinating in the Harissa sauce.
What you'll need:
How to Make Harissa Shrimp with Black Rice
Once shrimp are prepped and/or thawed, marinate them in Harissa, oil, lime and salt; refrigerate for 10-minutes and make the rice.
After the shrimp have marinated for 10-minutes, place them in a baking dish and bake 8-10-minutes.
Bake marinated Harissa shrimp for 8-10 minutes
Cook the rice in coconut milk
What is Harissa?
Harissa, pronounced "ha-ree'-sa," is a red pepper sauce and is the most prominent condiment in North African cuisine.
This red Moroccan condiment has a paste-like texture and consists of ground chili peppers, oil, garlic and seasonings such as coriander, cumin and caraway.
Where can I find it in the store?
You may find Harissa chili paste on the International aisle, near the Indian foods and sauces, or perhaps in the condiment section.
There are several different brands available, but the one I like is Mina Brand, made by Casablanca Foods.
It comes in spicy and mild versions; however, this recipe uses the mild Mina Harissa, but I have used the spicy before, too!
If some people in your family can't tolerate a lot of heat, use the mild. It's just as flavorful as the spicy version.
What is Black or Forbidden rice?
This dark grained heirloom rice is called "black rice" because of the anthocyanin pigmentation-it's what gives the rice it's dark purple color--like eggplant.
It is called "Forbidden" because centuies ago in ancient China, it was reserved for the emperor and royalty--forbidden to anyone else.
The flavor is a mild, semi-sweet nutty flavor, which allows it to pair beautifully with the spicy Harissa sauce and sweet chunks of pineapple.
I usually reserve this dish for the summer, due to the minimal amount of actual cooking time!
Plus that, the combination of sweet pineapple and spicy Harissa is ideal for a hot summer day!
Related recipes:
Harissa Shrimp with Pineapple Black Rice
Ingredients
Shrimp Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh shrimp peeled and deveined
- 10 ounces Harissa Red Pepper Sauce , mild or spicy
- 1 tablespoon oil , for marinade
- 1 lime juice
- pinch of salt
Pineapple Rice Ingredients
- 1 cup black rice
- 8 ounces diced pineapple , reserve the juice
- 10 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
Instructions
- Peel and devein shrimp; place shrimp in plastic storage bag
- In a medium bowl, combine Harissa, oil, lime juice and salt; combine well
- Pour mixture over shrimp; massage until all shrimp are coated well
- Place in refrigerator for 10 min
- Make the rice:
- Strain the juice from the pineapple and set aside
- In a medium pan, add the reserved pineapple juice and 8 oz. (one cup) of coconut milk; bring to boil; add black rice
- Stir in black rice; boil for 2 minutes, reduce heat to simmer (Note: it turns purple; don't worry!)
- Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes
- After the rice has cooked for about 15 minutes, preheat oven to 350ºF
- Pour shrimp and Harissa mixture into an oven-proof baking dish; place dish on middle rack
- Bake shrimp 8 - 10 minutes, flipping once until they are pink
- Plate rice, top with shrimp and garnish with diced pineapple
Notes
- You may find Harissa chili paste on the International aisle, near the Indian foods and sauces, or perhaps in the condiment section. There are several different brands available, but the one I like is Mina Brand, made by Casablanca Foods.
- It comes in a spicy and mild version; this recipe uses the mild Mina Harissa, but I have used the spicy before, too! If some people in your family can't tolerate a lot of heat, use the mild. It's just as flavorful as the spicy version.
- Black rice when cooked in coconut milk turns purple; do not freak out; this is normal
- Don't have black rice? No problem! Use white or brown, basmati or jasmine!
I'd love to hear from you!