AirFryday: Fish ratatouille in your air fryer

Louisa Holst has turned out several highly popular air fryer cookbooks during the last few years. As the title makes clear, her latest transforms everyday staples — sausage, chicken, fish, mince, steak, chops, fruits and vegetables — into meals that take 30 minutes or less to cook.

Her recipes in the new book include biryani chicken salad, hake and jalapeño bake, biltong-spiced ostrich skewers, shisanyama steak, curried frikkadels, chops with roasted chakalaka and lots more — all with a tasty local twist.

There are also tempting fruit-based desserts that, she says, “will have you sweet-talked into seconds”. They’re quick, easy, and proudly South African. 

The book is also available in Afrikaans.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Air-fryer temperature: 200°C

Ingredients

1 red sweet pepper, seeded and diced

4 courgettes, diced

1 medium-sized brinjal, cut into small cubes

50 ml olive oil

1 x 410g tin Italian-style tomatoes

4 frozen hake medallions or steaks, thawed

5ml dried Italian herbs

Fresh rosemary or basil and grated Parmesan cheese

(optional)

Cooked rice or pasta, to serve

Method

1 Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Put the sweet pepper, courgette and brinjal pieces into a bowl and add three-quarters of the olive oil. Toss well to coat.

2 Place the mixture into the air-fryer basket. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

3 Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish that will fit into the air fryer. Stir in the Italian tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4 Place the fish pieces on top of the vegetables. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian herbs. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until the fish has cooked through and flakes easily. Add the fresh herbs and sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese, if using. Serve hot with rice or pasta. DM

Louisa Holst has been a food consultant, recipe developer and food editor for 20 years. She is passionate about food and loves to discover new flavours and create delicious, easy-to-cook, family friendly recipes. In 2023 she won the South African Book Award for Non-fiction for her bestselling The South African Air Fryer Cookbook.