20 Mar Harissa Shrimp with Cauliflower & Broccoli Couscous

Healthy honey harissa shrimp with cauliflower and broccoli couscous for a nourishing, quick, and easy meal. Ready in 15 minutes, this flavorful dinner is protein packed, grain free, and paleo. The ideal weeknight fast dinner and meal prep shrimp recipe!

Best ever harissa shrimp recipe

Harissa shrimp with cauliflower and broccoli couscous is a quick, easy and delicious meal for a weeknight dinner or weekend date night! Who doesn’t love a 15 minute meal?!

I love trying new cuisines, especially trying to cook them! I find it so fun to try new flavors, food combinations, and types of food. That is why I am so excited to share my best ever harissa recipe! I used shrimp in this recipe because it’s not only super easy to cook, it is also really affordable.

This healthy dinner is nourishing, filling, and super comforting. Make it any time of the year for a balanced and fun meal! Plus, this easy harissa shrimp recipe with garlic vegetable couscous is topped with crunchy almonds and fresh lemon. A great recipe for meal prep lunch, family dinners, and athletes!

I can’t wait to hear what you think!

What is harissa?

So you might be wondering…. what is harissa? Harissa is a North African chili pepper paste made out of red bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and various spices, including cumin, coriander, and caraway. It is zesty, aromatic, and can be spicy or mild in heat! Plus, it’s great to add to couscous, stews, or as a marinade for meat.

For this recipe, I used my favorite harissa paste (Mina’s Spicy), but you can also find some at your local supermarket or Trader Joe’s! It is usually sold in a jar or tube in the International aisle or sometimes in the condiment section. Such a wonderful flavor profile!

Is harissa healthy?

Harissa has many health benefits, and it’s a great food to incorporate into your diet. In fact, harissa is rich in vitamins C, B6, E, and K. It also has a great amount of iron, copper, and is a rich source of healthy antioxidants.

Ingredients in honey harissa shrimp & vegetable couscous

You’ll only need a few, simple ingredients to get this easy 15 minute dinner recipe going! I am all about simplicity and ease, so don’t worry, you won’t need to go to the supermarket and buy a lot of expensive ingredients and spices. Kind of crazy how flavorful this shrimp recipe is!

• Shrimp: Shrimp cook in just a few minutes and are super high in protein, so they’re perfect for a busy weeknight. I highly recommend buying deveined and cleaned shrimp. You can use frozen shrimp or freshly bought shrimp. If frozen, thaw the shrimp overnight in the refrigerator or run them under cold water for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Harissa sauce: Harrisa. is a wonderful red bell pepper based paste with lots of delicious herbs and spices! You can use a mild or spicy harissa. My personal favorite is Mina.
• Honey: The little natural sweetness for this flavorful and zesty dish!
• Lemons: The perfect addition to the honey harissa shrimp and garlic vegetable couscous.
• Olive oil
• Riced cauliflower: Riced cauliflower is high fiber, low carb, and has lots of antioxidants. Plus it’s grain free and gluten free! I used fresh rice cauliflower, but frozen should work too – I recommend following the instructions on the bag to cook properly.
• Riced broccoli: Riced broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that is high in Vitamin C, K, and lots of fiber. Plus it makes this vegetable couscous grain free, low carb, gluten free! I used fresh broccoli rice, but frozen should work too – I recommend following the instructions on the bag to cook properly.
• Garlic cloves: The ideal flavor for this healthy couscous.
• Salt and pepper
• Slivered almond: The perfect crunch factor! Plus almonds are nutrient-rich with tons of vitamin E!

How to make healthy honey harissa shrimp with cauliflower and broccoli couscous

My favorite thing about this healthy dinner recipe (besides the taste of course) is how easy they are to make! They are seriously the perfect family dinner, meal prep, or date night dinner recipe.

First, in a large mixing bowl, combine the cleaned shrimp, red harissa sauce, honey, the juice from 1 lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Then, set it to the side and let marinate for 5 – 10 min while you prepare your vegetable couscous.

Meanwhile, In a large skillet or pan, add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and heat to medium-high. When heated, add in the riced cauliflower and riced broccoli. Cook for 3 minutes then add in the minced garlic and juice from 1 lemon, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 3 minutes.

While the veggie rice is cooking, heat a second skillet to medium-high with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Once shrimp is done marinating, add shrimp and all the marinade to the heated pan. Cook shrimp for 2 – 3 minutes on each side, until the desired doneness.

Plate the shrimp on a bed of your cauliflower & broccoli couscous and top with slivered almonds and a lemon wedge. Enjoy you honey harissa shrimp with cauliflower and broccoli couscous!

Harissa shrimp variations

This North African Shrimp dish is delicious as-is, but if you are missing an ingredient or two no worries! Feel free to change things up to customize it to your family’s preferences:

• Protein: Instead of using shrimp, try this with chicken or tofu!
• Veggies: Top with extra veggies by adding zucchini, onion, yellow squash, or tomatoes into your vegetable couscous.
• Spiciness: Use mild or spicy harissa paste! For an extra little kick of heat, add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to shrimp marinade.
• Add Feta: Add some creamy fetta crumbles to this shrimp dish for some healthy fats and awesome flavors.

How to store extra and meal prep harissa shrimp

One of my favorite things about this comforting dinner is that you can save extras for meal prep! This honey harissa shrimp with cauliflower and broccoli couscous recipe makes five filling, hearty, and tasty servings that you can store for meal prep.

To meal prep this recipe, be sure to let the burgers completely cool before dividing into separate airtight containers. Simply store them in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave! Do not store your burgers with the toppings or buns, assemble them after reheating.

Looking for other healthy dinner recipes? Check these out!

Need some more tasty and healthy dinner, lunch, or meal prep ideas? Here are some of my favorite Healthful Blondie dinner recipes to try out….

• Crispy Salmon with Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli
• Easy Taco Stuffed Sweet Potato Boats
• Healthy Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don’t forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!

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Recipe by Tati Chermayeff / Healthful Blondie + Photos by The Travel Palate

I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. In full disclosure, by purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. Everything counts to keep my dream afloat; thank you for supporting Healthful Blondie!

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