Louisa Holst’s fish ratatouille. (Photo: Supplied)
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.