One-Pan Shrimp and Pearl Couscous With Harissa Recipe (2024)

gorgeous! I made this the night my wife and I got divorced

This was incredibly delicious, with a few changes based on other comments. We used TJ's harissa paste, which is pretty dang spicy. 2 Tbsp was PLENTY. Used stock instead of water and also added in 1 bunch of chopped kale for some extra green, once the stock came to a boil and before simmering. Threw in 1/4 cup of capers at the end along with fresh parsley and cilantro. Two bites in, my boyfriend declared that this absolutely needed to be added to our regular rotation.

It's not listed in the ingredients, but is mentioned in step 4.

a squeeze of lemon when serving makes a world of difference here, I cannot recommend it enough

I needed to add water at Step 5 but otherwise this worked well. I might reduce the harissa and maybe add some spinach or arugula at the end as some of the notes suggest. I’d be interested in what others served with it.

Excellent! Followed recipe but had to use orzo as I couldn't find pearled couscous. Made a broth from the shrimp shells, parsley and onion to cook the orzo in. Followed the suggestions and added the tomatoes with the broth to get them cooked and release their juices. The harissa I purchased wasn't too hot and I was able to add a little more at the end when tasting. I also added several handfuls of baby spinach along with the shrimp. Will be making this again and again!

Great recipe.....tossed through three handfuls of fresh baby spinach at last cooking phase....colours and taste fabulous. And plates well to serve for friends or just because you can.

There is no mention of water in the recipe

Use jumbo, fresh shrimp. Harissa flavor is intense so definitely mix lemon into the harissa paste and also do parsley to add something green and balance out the flavors.

I loved this recipe. I did not have Harissa nor could I find it at my grocery store so I replaced it with tomato paste and sambal. It was delicious and perfectly spicy!

My harissa wasn’t that spicy so I ended up adding red pepper flakes to give it a little kick. I also added white beans instead of shrimp because I didn’t have any other protein I could use. It still turned out quite good and I would definitely recommend cooking with chicken broth instead of just water.

Don't be like me and try to substitute "regular" couscous because you can't find Israeli couscous. The flavors were actually still very good, which is a testament to this recipe, but you'll have so much volume you won't know what to do with it all. Looking forward to trying it again with the right ingredients! ;)

In US grocery stores harissa tends to come in mild and hot. Mild harissa is not very hot at all; hot harissa can range from what you'd expect to extremely hot. To avoid culinary disasters, check the labels or, if the labels are ambiguous, when you get the product home taste it before you use it and adjust the amount accordingly. If the mild harissa tastes too mild, try adding a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired degree of heat. If you love really hot sauces, start with hot harissa.

I will definitely make this again. Didn't read the notes, but I'd agree that a bit color beyond parsley might have been nice. Maybe some peas. Lemon sounds like a good idea on serving. This is a very unique dish. The tomatoes were terrific! It came together perfectly.

One of my very favourite NYT recipes! I have made it multiple times and it is always delicious!

I used sriracha instead of harissa, which was fun!

Delicious and easy. I wouldn’t hesitate to make this for a dinner party. I didn’t have the parsley I thought was in the crisper but did have dill, that worked well as I’m sure would other herbs like cilantro. I had some homemade harissa I had to use up (usually buy, but needed one without garlic for a guest over the holidays) and it was very flavorful…looking forward to trying it with jarred too.

I'm surprised at how mediocre this was; even after adding less water to allow the flavor to concentrate a bit more (a touch over 2 cups), salting it (it needed more salt at the end), putting the tomatoes in halfway through the couscous simmering time, and stirring in capers and feta at the end, this was just... meh. I wish it had been better! As written, it's more like two stars, but the modifications pepped it up a SLIGHT bit. Still, this has flavors we usually love, but what a bummer.

Out of this world recipe! Even though I had to make a few changes, i.e. I had run out of harissa and had to make my own, and I used canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh, it was delicious! I served it on a bed of fresh baby spinach, and my taste buds and hubby's gave it a 2 thumbs up.

Anytime there is an under 30 minute, 5 star recipe on this app it’s a must try for me! Lacking the ability to obtain harissa paste on the tundra I made my own using a recipe from Bon Appetit (sorry, NYT!). I’m now dreaming of other ways to eat harissa and what herbs and other starches may work well as substitutions in this recipe because it is that good!! I’m now a harissa paste devotee for the body heat alone but with shrimp AND couscous? Sold forever.

Phenomenal!I bought 1.5 lbs of local XL shrimp with shells on. After removing the shells and deveining, I boiled 1 cup of sauv blanc with some shells down to .75 of a cup and 2.25 cups of chicken stock with some shells down to 1.75 (to use instead of water).I used mild harissa paste (for the kiddos) and pearl couscous. Added tomatoes earlier with the stock as suggested, and added a handful of spinach with the shrimp also as suggested.Was well sauced, not soupy, with deep layered flavors.

I made a fast shrimp stock with the shrimp shells, simmered in ~3 cups water - strained through a small sieve and used in place of the ~2.5 cups plain water. Delicious! PS I started adding the liquid with just 2 cups of the shrimp stock, and added more bit by bit as needed to get the consistency I wanted.

Pretty good. Made 1/2 recipe. Didn’t have harissa. Substituted tomato paste with small amount of sriracha. Added arugula at the end as suggested by a commenter. Squeeze of lemon, too. Very quick and easy recipe!

Tastes good, but super runny even when following directions exactly. What did I do wrong?

Used 2 T of harissa total. My harissa is not spicy so it wasn’t spicy at all. Based on comments: used vegetable broth instead of water. Added shrimp AFTER the tomatoes were done cooking. Added salt only to shrimp. Marty liked!

If harissa is too harsh use chili garlic sauce

This was disappointing, especially considering all the positive reviews. We found it flavourless and the textures didn’t work. I followed the recipe except used orzo as I couldn’t find pearl couscous. I was hoping to like this as it’s an easy one pot meal but will not be making again.

Used Trader Joe's harissa paste which is very very HOT. Beware. I used only 1 generous tablespoon in the broth mixture and it was too spicy for me.