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A plate of Harissa Shrimp Pasta with Saffron Sauce, with parsley scattered around the plate.

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.