Harissa Shrimp With Greens and Feta

By Yewande Komolafe

Updated October 28, 2025

  • Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
40 min
Rating
5(1,088)
Comments
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For any ingredient lucky enough to float its way, harissa offers so much beyond the bright red tint it lends. A fruity concentrate of puréed peppers, garlic, spices and oil, this jammy paste deepens in flavor once it’s kissed by the heat of a broiler. This sheet pan shrimp dish, complete with roasted greens and topped with fresh avocado, feta, onion and cilantro, can be a quick lunch or light dinner. The shrimp is marinated briefly here, but if you have time, you can cover and refrigerate the shrimp for up to 24 hours.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp

  • ¼ cup harissa paste

  • 4 garlic cloves, grated

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 5 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 limes, divided

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 1 bunch fresh chard or kale (about 8 ounces), leaves and stems chopped into 1-inch pieces

  • 1 medium avocado, sliced

  • ½ cup chopped red onion

  • ½ cup crumbled feta

  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

  • Couscous or rice (optional), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

19 grams carbs; 199 milligrams cholesterol; 435 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 782 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Move a rack in the oven about 3 inches from the top. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, harissa, garlic, cumin and 1 tablespoon oil. Zest and juice 1 lime right into the bowl and cut the other into wedges and set wedges aside. Season shrimp mixture lightly with salt and pepper, toss and marinate for 10 minutes. (If you have time, you can cover and refrigerate the shrimp to marinate for 30 minutes and up to 12 hours for a deeper flavor.)

  3. Step 3

    Place the greens on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss and coat the greens and spread in an even layer. Pour ½ cup water into the baking sheet.

  4. Step 4

    Roast on the top rack, rotating once and stirring with a pair of tongs, until the greens are wilted and stems softened with a slight crunch, about 10 minutes. Move the greens to one side of the baking sheet and turn the oven setting to broil.

  5. Step 5

    Add the shrimp in a single layer on the other side and drizzle the shrimp and greens with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

  6. Step 6

    Broil on the top rack, rotating the pan once, until the shrimp are just cooked, brown around the edges and the greens are brown in spots, 8 to 10 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Toss the shrimp and greens together. Top with avocado, onions, feta and cilantro. Serve immediately, over couscous or rice if you’d like, with lime wedges for squeezing.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,088 user ratings
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Comments

Melissa

@Judi you can mix dry harissa with a little lemon zest and olive oil to make a paste and then use that.

JB

Found this while looking for a Mediterranean-ish sheet pan shrimp recipe and was pleased to discover we had everything (except the limes—subbed lemons) and it was DELICIOUS! Served over pearl couscous with a tomato/cucumber/chickpea salad. Keep an eye on your kale during the broil: our broiler has both high and low settings and without guidance beyond “broil,” I set it to high and slightly burned the kale by the time the shrimp were done. But once it’s all tossed together with the accoutrements the extra toasty kale just adds to the flavor. Will definitely make this again.

MtnNewf

What didn't you like? The mix of flavors or just one flavor? Or did you have a harissa that was too hot? If you can explain, it would help a lot of readers.

Michele

My first time cooking with harissa, will not be the last. I used frozen shrimp we keep on hand, but would use fresh for special occasion. I will try this recipe with tofu.

Charles Pascual

WeLaJo (who posted 7 months prior to my comment) has the right idea. I followed the same process on the stove top, in a large skillet, and it turned out fine. The longest cooking time was the onions - the shrimp were done in about 3 minutes as they always do - and I also wilted spinach because I'm not a big kale fan. So, it comes together in a flash - easy cleanup - this is the way to go. Thanks, WeLaJo.

Ann

The cooking time for the shrimp is much too long. I roasted the shrimp (not broiled) for 5 minutes. Also, I used 1 TBSP DEA-brand harissa paste. 1/4 cup seems excessive, but it depends on the brand's heat. On making the dish a second time, doubled the swiss chard, swapped in caramelized onions for the raw red onions, and added chopped dates. The dates and onions went on top of the swiss chard in the oven at the same time as the shrimp. This version gets raves, and it makes terrific tacos!

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