Annita's Warming Zander in Harissa Tomato Sauce
Today's Friday fish comes from Annita from processing.
For about a year and a half, Annita at LocalFish has been ensuring that our fresh zander are carefully filleted by hand every day. Precision, experience, and a good eye are crucial – because that's the only way to create the fillets that will later end up on your plate.
The work in processing takes place at a constant temperature of about 7 degrees Celsius. This is important for the quality and freshness of the fish – but after a day's work in this environment, Annita particularly looks forward to a dish in the evening that is the exact opposite:
something warm, spicy, and comforting.
One of her favorite recipes for this is a zander in harissa tomato sauce, which slowly cooks in the oven and remains wonderfully juicy.
A recipe that warms from within
The dish combines the mild taste of zander with an aromatic tomato sauce that gets a pleasant spiciness from harissa. A creamy yogurt-tahini dip and toasted pine nuts add extra freshness and texture.
The result: a simple but special fish dish that is perfect for the weekend.
Ingredients (for 4 people)
For the fish
- 4 zander fillets without skin (approx. 150 g per fillet)
- Salt and pepper
For the Harissa Tomato Sauce
- 1 red bell pepper
- 150 g onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1.5 tsp harissa paste
- Salt and pepper
For the Yogurt-Tahini Dip
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
- 125 g Greek yogurt
- approx. 30 ml cold water
- Salt and pepper
To serve
- 4 tbsp pine nuts
- 3 sprigs parsley
Preparation
1. Prepare vegetables
Dice the onions finely. Peel the garlic and crush lightly. Core the bell pepper and dice coarsely.
2. Cook tomato sauce
Heat olive oil in a pot and sauté onions, garlic, and bell pepper until translucent.
Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, and a pinch of sugar and let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
Finally, stir in the harissa and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
3. Cook zander
Preheat the oven to 140 °C (120 °C convection).
Pour some sauce into an ovenproof dish, season the zander fillets with salt, and place them on top. Then add the remaining sauce – the fish should be about one-third covered.
Place the dish in the oven and gently cook the zander for 18–20 minutes.
4. Prepare dip and toppings
Mix tahini with yogurt and water until smooth and season with salt and pepper.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown.
Finely chop the parsley.
5. Serve
Remove the zander from the oven, drizzle with some yogurt-tahini, and sprinkle with pine nuts and parsley.
Annita's Tip
"When the fish cooks gently in the sauce, it remains particularly tender. And a piece of fresh bread is always worth it – you can soak up all the sauce with it."
Regional fish, simply prepared
This recipe beautifully demonstrates how uncomplicated a good fish dish can be. With just a few ingredients, a dish is created that is aromatic, balanced, and truly comforting.
Just right for a relaxing Friday evening.
And perhaps the zander tastes even better when you know that it was carefully filleted by hand by Annita and our team beforehand. 🐟
