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Harissa Shrimp and Dill Yogurt Dip

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One of the snacks I’ve made (for Michael to make on Sunday) for the Super Bowl this year is this wonderfully easy harissa shrimp recipe that comes together very quickly and is lip and finger-smacking good. There’s a yogurt-based dip that utilizes fresh dill and garlic for flavor. If you aren’t familiar with harissa, it’s a condiment made from hot chillies and caraway (harissa occupies a permanent position in my kitchen, I think at present, I’ve got six different varieties) that originated in North Africa. In grocery stores, you’ll find several different types of harissa, some hotter than others, some flavored with rose, and others with lemon.

  • Yield: 4

Ingredients

For the Dip

½ cup/120 g plain unsweetened Greek yogurt

½ ripe/about 90 g small avocado pulp, diced

2 garlic cloves

1 green chilli such as jalapeño or serrano

¼ cup/2.5 g chopped dill plus a little extra for garnish

3 Tbsp/45 ml lime or lemon juice

3 to 4 Tbsp water (you might use it all or just a little bit)

Fine sea salt

For the Shrimp

2 garlic cloves, grated

4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp harissa (See The Cook’s Notes)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice

1 lb/455 g raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on

Fine sea salt

1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

Instructions

  1. First, prepare the dip. Blend the yogurt, avocado, garlic, chilli, dill, and lime juice over high speed until smooth in a blender. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp of water or more as needed to help the ingredients move in the blender. Taste and season with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with extra dill, and keep chilled until ready to use. This dip tastes best the day it’s made.
  2. Next, prepare the shrimp. Mix the garlic, 2 Tbsp of the olive oil, harissa, tomato paste, and lime juice in a medium mixing bowl. Add the shrimp, season with salt, and fold to coat well. Cover with a lid and let marinate for 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat when ready to cook. Add the shrimp to the hot skillet and cook on each side until they turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. If the tomato paste makes it tricky to assess the color change, cut a piece of shrimp to see if the flesh has turned tender and opaque white on the inside and the outer surface and tail end pink. Transfer the hot shrimp to a serving dish and serve with the yogurt dill dip and the extra lime wedges on the side.

Notes

  • I used the Rosey Harissa seasoning blend from New York Shuk in this recipe, but any harissa will work. This particular one is a dry spice blend; however, if you’ve got harissa paste at home, that will work here as well (use 1 to 2 Tbsp depending on how hot it is). Two other favorites include – the one made by Mina and the other by Cookbook in Los Angeles (this one is hot).
  • Know your harissa. I’ve noticed a massive difference between harissa heat levels across different brands. If the harissa you’re working with is too hot or too weak in its heat levels for you, adjust the quantity (heat lovers, add some ground cayenne).
  • Since the shrimp marinade has salt and lime juice, do not exceed the marination time listed in the recipe, or the shrimp proteins will start to cure in the acid and salt (just like ceviche), which will affect the texture on cooking (and not in a good way).

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