18 Nebraskaland • March 2026
By Ryan Sparks
HARISSA TURKEY KABOBS
Harissa is a North African chili paste
that, when combined with wild turkey,
makes a perfect weeknight meal when
you feel like grilling. It is as simple as
marinating the turkey pieces, placing
them on skewers, and tossing them
on the grill. I like to serve it with
flatbread, a simple yogurt sauce,
and a salad of cucumber, tomato and
red onion.
Note: You can find dried chiles in the
Hispanic section of grocery stores.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 24 hours (marinade time)
Cooking Time: ~15 minutes
Ingredients:
Harissa
• 3 dried pasilla chiles
• 2 dried guajillo chiles
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 1 dried chipotle chile
• 4 dried arbol chiles (or more if you
want it hotter)
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
• Lemon juice
Kabobs
• 1 wild turkey breast, trimmed
of silver skin and cut into 1½ to
2-inch chunks
• ¼ cup harissa
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Salt
• Fresh mint (optional)
Instructions:
1. Remove the stems and seeds from
the dried chiles. Cut the chiles into
large pieces and cover them with
nearly boiling water. If the chiles
want to float, weigh them down
with a metal spatula or something
similar. Let them soak for 30 minutes
or until they are soft. Don't throw
away the chile-soaking water.
2. When the chiles are soft, put them
and the remaining ingredients into
a blender or food processor and
blitz them into a nearly smooth
paste. If the paste seems too thick,
splash in some of the chile-soaking
water. When you've got it to a nice
consistency, it will keep in a jar in
the refrigerator for months.
3. Put the turkey chunks in a medium
bowl and add ¼ cup of the harissa
and the red wine vinegar. Give
everything a good mix, cover and let
it hang out in the refrigerator until
you are ready to grill. Overnight
is best, but 12 hours is also
enough time.
4. When you are ready to grill (a
charcoal grill is best), skewer the
turkey pieces onto four metal
skewers (or more if needed), sprinkle
them with salt, and place them on a
hot grill.
5. Once on the grill, I like to spray the
kabobs with light olive oil. The little
drips of oil that fall onto the hot
coals create a nice smoky flavor.
Grill for 5 to 10 minutes on each
side until little charred bits begin
to form.
6. Let the kabobs rest for 5 minutes,
sprinkle with the fresh mint (if
using), and serve.
IN THE FIELD
Turkey kabobs seasoned with a North African chili paste. RYAN SPARKS
