Harissa Shrimp Pasta with Saffron Sauce

Saffron and shellfish play so well together.  Here’s is an easy but quite elegant dish to whip up for company or for date night.

Rose Harissa Shrimp

These flavourful shrimp couldn’t be easier.  A quick sauté in a pan in olive oil, Rose Harissa, minced garlic, and black pepper, and the first part of this dish is done.  Spread them out on a baking sheet and keep them warm in a 250F oven till the sauce is ready.

I like to use 16-20 per pound size Tiger Shrimp.  Feel free to use your favourite shrimp, except popcorn shrimp. Beware that the smaller the shrimp, the more chance they will overcook and turn rubbery. So keep a good eye on them, and remove from the skillet as soon as they are cooked. One half pound of shrimp should be good, but add a few more if you feel like it.  Purchasing peeled and deveined is the easiest for prep.  Butterflying by cutting down the outside into the flesh but not all the way through will allow the meat to open up as they cook.

Rose Harissa

Rose Harissa is simply a blend of harissa pepper spices, with the addition of dried rose petals for a subtle floral note in the background.  It comes in both dry powder, or paste versions.  I have both, the paste is in a jar stored in the fridge.  The powder is easily shaken from the container whenever I want to add the depth of flavour that only Rose Harissa can offer.  If you can’t find Rose Harissa, feel free to use your favourite version of Harissa, the dish will still be amazing.

Saffron Sauce

This smooth, almost velvety sauce is one of my go-to’s, it works in so many dishes and applications.  Whether it is over shellfish, baked halibut, sole or cod, chicken cutlets, stuffed pasta, or over grilled or steamed vegetables, it even makes a lovely dip.

Saffron is a complex taste, but is best described as having a slightly grassy taste, and slightly sweet almost like honey, it is almost equally sweet and savoury depending on how its paired.

And you don’t really need more than a pinch of saffron to make an impact in this sauce. Which is good, since the expense means that you want to stretch it as far as possible. Before you start the sauce you will bloom the saffron threads by placing them in a small bowl and adding one tablespoon of water. Gently crush them to break the threads into smaller pieces. Leave to sit for ten minutes.

The rest of the ingredients are quite basic: butter, stock, heavy cream (use whipping cream, not half and half), white pepper, salt, and minced shallot or Spanish onion.

The minced shallot is sautéed in butter in a medium skillet, and then you will add the stock, cream, and saffron. Bring the mixture up to a rolling bubble, and then reduce and let it simmer till it has thickened, about ten to fifteen minutes.  Add some pepper and salt to taste, and you have your sauce.  To be truly elegant you can strain the sauce through a small sieve to catch the shallot pieces, but I don’t mind them.

Add the shrimp and toss.  Then add the cooked pasta and give it all a final toss.  Serve with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley and green onion if so desired.

Final Thoughts

Feel free to replace the shrimp with poached lobster tails or grilled scallops.  Even a lovely piece of cod will be lovely with this sauce.

You can replace the chicken stock, with vegetable stock.  If you want you can also use fish stock, but I would only use half fish stock and the remainder as water to replace the chicken or vegetable stock.

Don’t be tempted to use half and half cream for this dish, it will not give you the substance and creaminess needed for the final dish.  This dish is meant to be a treat, so go all the way.

This is an easy dish, and yet quite elegant, perfect for company or for date night.  And yet, if you have the craving, like most shrimp dishes, this can easily be whipped up for one if you have the craving.  I love shrimp dishes for this very reason.

For other Shrimp or Saffron dishes, check out Shrimp and Chicken Scampi, Shrimp Pil Pil Tapas, Coconut Shrimp with a Sweet Chilli Sauce, Saffron Butter Pasta with Shellfish, Saffron Orzotto with Asparagus

If you make this elegant and fragrant Rose Harissa Shrimp Pasta with Saffron Sauce, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

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Rose Harissa Shrimp Pasta with Saffron Sauce

A simple dish of sautéed shrimp is elevated by the floral kick of rose harissa, as well an elegant silky saffron sauce. Served with your favourite pasta, this dish is perfect for company, date night, and can even be a first course for a dinner party.

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Keyword rose harissa, saffron, shrimp

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

Rose Harissa Shrimp

• 1/2 lb large shrimp 16-20 size, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 medium clove of garlic, finely minced or grated
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Rose Harissa
• Pepper
• Salt

Saffron Sauce

• Pinch of saffron threads
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 medium to large shallot, peeled and finely minced, or 1/4 cup finely minced Spanish onion
• 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, see Notes
• 1 cup Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp White pepper, or black pepper if you don't have white pepper.

Pasta

• 4 oz of linguini or spaghetti cooked as per package instructions, drain and set aside till needed.
• Chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese for garnish, optional

Instructions

Rose Harissa Shrimp

1. Have the oven set at 250F.
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and warm it through.
3. When the oil is warmed, add the shrimp and cook them in the skillet for three or four minutes, turning once until they have a pink colour. Don't overcook.
4. Half way through, add the garlic, and Rose Harissa.
5. Once just cooked through, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well. Remove the shrimp to a baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm till ready to serve. Wipe out the skillet for the next step

Saffron Sauce

1. Place the saffron threads in a very small bowl or cup. Add one tbsp of water, and crush the saffron threads to break them up. Leave these to bloom in the water for 10 minutes.
2. Warm the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Once the foaming subsides, add the minced shallot and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the heavy cream, chicken stock and bloomed saffron plus the water, and bring to a gentle boil.
4. Lower heat and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced and thickened. This should take about 15 minutes, depending on how thick you want it. For a sauce over pasta, feel free to stop earlier. For a dipping sauce let it simmer longer to become a bit more thick.
5. Season with the salt and white pepper.

Assemble

1. As soon as the sauce is the thickness you like, add in the shrimp and toss gently. Then add the drained pasta and toss once more.
2. Serve with chopped fresh parsley and an extra dusting of Rose Harissa powder.
3. You can also top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Recipe Notes

To make a sauce for vegetables and dipping, feel free to keep warm in a small saucepan over low heat. The same method is how you will re-heat any sauce that you may have stored in the fridge.
Feel free to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
Don't replace the heavy (whipping) cream with half and half.