Feelgood Fish Cakes Recipes

PROPER BRITISH FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Mix mayonnaise, capers, shallot, parsley, tarragon, horseradish, mustard, and cayenne together in a bowl for tartar sauce and refrigerate until needed.
• Add milk and bay leaf to a saucepan and place the pieces of fish over the top. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. As soon as the fish firms up, but before it starts to flake apart, turn off the heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes before draining. Let cool, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until needed.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add russet potato and boil until tender but not falling apart.
• Drain and mash potato in a bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Add parsley, chives, and lemon zest; add 1 tablespoon tartar sauce mixture. Mix until combined. Flake chilled fish over the top. Mix until combined.
• Scoop out ¼ of the mixture and form into a patty. Repeat with remaining mixture.
• Dust cakes with flour on both sides. Brush both sides of cakes with beaten egg. Coat in bread crumbs.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry patties in the hot oil until golden brown and heated through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels before serving with tartar sauce.

ULTIMATE FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Mix together 125ml mayonnaise, 1 rounded tbsp roughly chopped capers, 1 rounded tsp creamed horseradish, 1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard, 1 small very finley chopped shallot and 1 tsp finely chopped flatleaf parsley. Set aside.
• Lay 450g skinned Icelandic cod or haddock fillet and 2 bay leaves in a frying pan. Pour over 150ml milk and 150ml water.
• Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 4 mins. Take off the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 mins to gently finish cooking the fish.
• Meanwhile, peel and chop 350g Maris Piper potatoes into even-sized chunks. Put them in a saucepan and just cover with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 mins or until tender, but not broken up.
• Lift the fish out of the milk with a slotted spoon and put on a plate to cool. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave for a min or two.
• Tip the potatoes back into the hot pan on the lowest heat you can and let them dry out for 1 min, mashing them with a fork and stirring so they don't stick. You should have a light, dry fluffy mash.
• Take off the heat and beat in 1 rounded tbsp of the sauce, then ½ tsp lemon zest, 1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley and 1 tbsp snipped chives.
• Season well with salt and pepper. The potato should have a good flavour, so taste and adjust to suit.
• Drain off liquid from the fish, grind some pepper over it, then flake it into big chunks into the pan of potatoes.
• Using your hands, gently lift the fish and potatoes together so they just mix. You'll only need a couple of turns, or the fish will break up too much. Put to one side and cool.
• Beat 1 egg on a large plate and lightly flour a board. Spread 85g fresh white breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Divide the fish cake mixture into four.
• On the floured board, and with floured hands, carefully shape into four cakes, about 2.5cm thick. One by one, sit each cake in the egg, and brush over the top and sides so it is completely coated.
• Sit the cakes on the crumbs, patting the crumbs on the sides and tops so they are lightly covered. Transfer to a plate, cover and chill for 30 mins (or up to a day ahead).
• Heat 3-4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil in a large frying pan. To test when ready, drop a piece of the dry breadcrumbs in - if it sizzles and quickly turns golden brown, it is ready to use.
• Fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 mins on each side or until crisp and golden. Serve with the rest of the sauce (squeeze in a little lemon to taste), lemon wedges for squeezing over and watercress.

CLASSIC FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Place all ingredients, except for the breadcrumbs, in a large bowl and mash until thoroughly combined.Form the mixture into 8 equal patties and roll them in the panko breadcrumbs. (You can make smaller patties if you prefer.) Refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes or until they've firmed up.
• Heat some oil in a non-stick pan and fry the patties on each side for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
• Serve immediately with our BEST homemade tartar sauce!

NOVA SCOTIA FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Put the fish and milk in a medium saucepan. Refrigerate at least an hour.
• Peel the potatoes and put in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Drain thoroughly, mash and season well with salt and pepper.
• In a small skillet, melt butter, add scallions and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove the fish from the refrigerator and place over medium-low heat. Bring the milk to a simmer and cook the fish until flaky, 5 to 7 minutes; do not overcook. Remove from heat, drain off the milk and allow to cool. Using a fork, break the fish into large flakes.
• Lightly beat one of the eggs and stir into the cooled potato mixture with the scallions and Worcestershire sauce. Add the flaked fish and 1 tablespoon of the parsley and gently fold into the mixture. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Form patties about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick for entree portions, or 2 inches in diameter for appetizer portions.
• Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a small bowl and put the bread crumbs in another. Dip the patties first in the beaten egg and then the bread crumbs. Heat about 1/8 of an inch of oil in a frying pan, adding more as needed. Fry the patties for just a few minutes on each side until golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve warm with lemon, tartar sauce, chutney or chowchow.

FAMILY MEALS: EASY FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender. Drain well and return to the pan on a low heat. Heat for another minute or two to evaporate excess liquid. Mash the potato with a small knob of butter. Allow to cool.
• Put the fish spring onions and milk in a shallow dish, cover with cling film and cook in the microwave for 1 ½ - 2 mins until just cooked. If you don't have a microwave, put everything in a saucepan and gently cook until just opaque and cooked through.
• Drain the fish and spring onions through a fine sieve. Gently mix through the potatoes, avoiding breaking up the fish too much, along with the sweetcorn, cheddar and a generous grind of black pepper. Form into 6 - 8 patties. The cooler the mash potato is when you do this, the easier it will be to form the patties as the mixture will be very soft when warm.
• Pour the egg on one plate and scatter flour on the other. Dip the patties in egg and then flour and arrange on a sheet of baking paper on a tray. Put the patties in the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up if the patties feel very soft. At this point you can freeze the patties, wrapped individually. Defrost throughly before moving onto the next stage.
• Heat a large frying pan with a generous glug of olive oil. When the oil is hot, carefully lower the fish cakes into the pan. Cook for 5 - 7 minutes or until golden brown underneath and then carefully flip them over. Fry for another 5 - 7 minutes or until golden on the bottom and heated all the way through.

GOLDEN FISH CAKES

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first nine ingredients; mix well. Shape into 12 patties, adding additional water if needed; coat with the Italian bread crumbs. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook the patties until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes on each side. If desired, serve immediately with tartar sauce and lemon.