Samke Harra – spicy fish in tomato sauce

Samke Harra means something like spicy fish. In my family, there are two ways of preparing spicy fish. The first is fish in a creamy tahini sauce with lots of garlic and the second is samke harra in tomato sauce.

Fresh ingredients for a fresh fish dish

I used cod for the fish. But you can just as easily use pollock, halibut or zander. Just check what you can get at your local fishmonger.

You should keep the following things in mind when buying fish:

• If the fish smells like fish, then it is not fresh. Fresh fish does not have an unpleasant odor.
• If the fish is slimy, you should no longer eat it.
• If you buy a whole fish, make sure that the eyes are clear. If they are cloudy, the fish is not fresh.

And if there is no fish store near you and no market day, you can also use frozen fish. Defrost it gently, rinse it with cold water and pat it dry with kitchen paper.

In the spicy tomato sauce, we have three spicy ingredients: garlic, chili and harissa. There are also a few Levantine spices, onion, paprika and fresh tomatoes. All the ingredients are roasted in a pan and cooked into a relish-like sauce.

To cook a delicious samke harra, you need the following ingredients:

• Cod fillets
• Flour
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• red peppers
• Tomatoes
• red chili
• Water
• Fresh coriander
• Tomato paste
• Harissa
• Cumin, ground
• Turmeric, ground
• Sweet paprika powder
• Coriander, ground
• Salt

How to prepare the spicy fish

You should eat fresh fish at least once a week, as it provides you with important nutrients such as omega-3 fats, vitamins, selenium and iodine.

Samke Harra is just the right recipe to turn a simple fish into comfort food. The dish is also perfect for serving to guests for dinner. It doesn’t take much effort, but it tastes fantastic and is a culinary escape to the Levant.

Quick guide for the preparation of Samke Harra:

1. Wash the fish and pat dry.
2. Mix the flour with the spices.
3. Coat both sides of the fish fillets in the seasoning flour.

4. Heat the pan, add the olive oil and fry the fish on both sides for approx. 2 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan and put to one side.

5. Peel the onion and garlic. Halve the onions and cut into thin slices. Cut the garlic into slices too.

6. Wash the peppers, tomatoes and chili. Deseed the peppers and cut into cubes. Quarter the tomatoes and cut the chili into rings.
7. Add the olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions for approx. 3 minutes over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for approx. 2 minutes.
8. Add the tomato purée, harissa and spices, fry briefly and then add the tomatoes, peppers and chilli.
9. Add water to the tomato sauce and simmer over a medium heat for approx. 10 minutes.

10. Wash the coriander, shake dry, roughly chop, add to the sauce (keep a little to one side for garnish) and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
11. Add the fish to the sauce and simmer for the remaining minutes. I only basted it with sauce when serving, but you can do this however you prefer.
12. Place the samke harra on a plate, sprinkle with coriander and serve with buttered rice, for example.

And what goes well with fish?

As I’ve already mentioned, buttered rice goes very well with spicy fish. But buttered bulgur, chickpea salad or Lebanese flatbread can also be used to make small fish wraps.

And if you are avoiding carbohydrates, you can simply enjoy the fish dish without a side dish. It will definitely fill you up.

Try it out straight away! I hope you enjoy preparing samke harra and, of course, bon appétit.

You can also follow me on Instagram for even more inspiration about Levante cuisine.

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Recipe for Samke Harra – Spicy fish in tomato sauce