Have you ever considered using Harissa on pasta? With its North African origin, Harissa is more typically used in soups and stews, and sometimes roasted vegetables. I quickly realised that not only does its robust flavours suit well with seafood, but it’s also a flavour combo that could work incredibly well with pasta. This harissa prawn pasta recipe offers a unique kick of flavours to the palate and a little punch of spice. Juicy prawns are tossed with garlic, sweet cherry tomatoes, and fiery harissa paste to create a simple yet flavour-packed pasta dish that’s ready in just 20 minutes. The flavours may differ from different brands, so do have a little play around until you find one that hits the spot for you. If you’re looking for a quick pasta dinner that’s packed with bold flavour, this Harissa Prawn Pasta is about to become your new weeknight favourite.
Why You’d Love This Harissa Prawn Pasta Recipe
Inspired by the smoky, spicy flavours of North African cuisine, harissa adds a rich depth of flavour that transforms an everyday prawn pasta into something truly special. This harissa pasta recipe uses simple ingredients that are easy to find in the supermarket, and only takes about 20 minutes to whip up, making it perfect for busy weeknights. The resulting dish is packed with bold, spicy, and smoky flavours, delivering a restaurant-quality dish with minimal effort. It’s also very easy to customise this pasta recipe with extra vegetables or different seafood.
What is Harissa
Harissa is a spicy chilli paste that originated in Tunisia and is now widely used throughout North Africa. Traditionally made from roasted red peppers, chilli peppers, garlic, olive oil, and aromatic spices such as cumin, coriander, and caraway, harissa delivers a smoky, slightly tangy heat that instantly elevates a dish. While harissa is often used as a condiment alongside grilled meats, couscous, and tagines, it has become increasingly popular in modern cooking thanks to its versatility. It works beautifully in pasta sauces, marinades, soups, roasted vegetables, and seafood dishes like this harissa prawn pasta.
Do note that different brands of Harissa paste offer different spice levels and tastes. I strongly recommend you to play around different brands until you find one that fits your personal flavour preferences the most. I personally enjoy the Belazu Smoked Chilli Harissa, which gives an extra smoky touch of flavour to the dish and goes super well with the pasta. Alternatively, rose harissa could offer a more floral touch to it. It’s all down to your personal preference!
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me, as a content creator, to continue delivering free content for you!
How to make Harissa Prawn Pasta
Ingredients You Need
- Prawns – I used frozen king prawns. Defrost before cooking
- Pasta – I recommend using Linguine
- Harissa Paste
- Garlic
- Red Chilli
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Dried Oregano
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Coriander Leaves
Cooking Tips & Recipe Notes
- Reserving pasta water is an essential step for all pasta recipes. It helps to create a smooth & silky sauce, and binds it to the pasta.
- Different brands of harissa have different spice levels and flavour profiles. Do play around with different brands to create your preferred flavour profile. I personally like using Belazu Smoked Chilli Harissa.
- Adjust the amount of chillies for this recipe according to your personal taste.
Harissa Pasta Variations
Looking for alternative Harissa pasta ideas? Here are some suggestions:
- Creamy Harissa Prawn Pasta
- Harissa Salmon Pasta
- Harissa Chicken Pasta
- Vegetarian Harissa Pasta
- Harissa Mixed Seafood Linguine
Common Recipe FAQs
Browse for More Easy Pasta Recipes
Chilli Garlic Tuna Pasta
Easy Spaghetti Pomodoro
Lemon Mascarpone Pasta
Harissa Prawn Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 220 g Pasta (Linguine/Spaghetti)
- 150 g Prawns
- 3 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 2-3 Red Bird's Eye Chillies finely chopped
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 2 heaped tbsp Harissa Paste
- 10 g Fresh Coriander Leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ tsp Oregano
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, season generously with salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, saute garlic and red chillies for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in the cherry tomatoes, cook until they begin to blister, roughly 5 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and oregano.
- Stir in Harissa paste, saute for a minute. Then add in prawns. Cook for about 5 minutes (depending on size) until cooked through.
- Add 1-2 tbsp of pasta water to loosen up the sauce and add in cooked pasta. Toss to combine.
- Mix in fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.
Notes
- Different brands of would offer different blends of flavour, so do play around until you find your best pick of harissa paste. I use Belazu Smoked Chilli Harissa.
- If using frozen prawns, defrost before use.
- Adjust the amount of chillies accordingly to the spice level of your harissa paste and your taste preferences.
Save & pin this recipe!
This is a beautiful recipe- so simple and quick to prepare, yet full of flavour! Thanks!
Great recipe! This makes a generous amount for 2 and I am able to keep half of it for dinner again tomorrow. It is definitely spicy and may take a bit of trial and error with the chillies and harissa paste to find your suited spice tolerance. I love spicy food so this fit the bill just well. I will probably decrease the harissa paste a little bit for my liking. I also loved how quick and easy this was to make and has the healthy additions of prawns and tomatoes!
Hi Debbie, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! I agree it definitely takes a little bit of trial and error as everyone’s spice preferences are different and different brands taste differently too. Thanks for leaving a comment and enjoy the leftovers 🙂 x
Awesome idea! Can’t wait to try it out.
Thank you! Let me know how it goes, can’t wait to see it!