Pan Fried Cod Cakes Recipes

TRADITIONAL NEWFOUNDLAND SALT COD FISH CAKES (MOM-IN-LAW'S RECIPE)

Steps:

• Soak salt fish pieces for 12 to 24 hours in a large bowl of cold water with the fish fully submerged, and place in the refrigerator (draining and changing water once or twice during that time. See Notes below).
• In a large pot of fresh water, boil pieces of salt cod for 15 to 20 minutes (there should be an inch or two of water above the salt cod, basically ensuring that it is fully submerged and covered by the water). Drain.Note: As you are cooking the salt cod, reduce the heat, if necessary, while still maintaining a boil.
• Once salt fish is cool enough to handle, remove skin and all bones (and discard), shred fish with your hands (checking again for bones and discarding) and set the fish aside in a bowl.
• Meanwhile, boil potatoes in another pot of lightly salted water until tender (there should be an inch or two of water above the potatoes, basically ensuring that they are fully submerged and covered by the water). Drain and let cool slightly. Roughly mash potatoes in the pot.Note: As you are cooking the potatoes, reduce the heat, if necessary, while still maintaining a boil.
• To pot of mashed potatoes, add onion, savoury, black pepper, salt fish and about 1 heaping tablespoon of flour. Stir to combine everything, but don't overmix.
• Using a round ice-cream scoop, form salt fish cakes (the size I made were about 60 to 65 grams each or about 2 ounces each). Pat down to form a patty. Place remaining flour in a small bowl. One at a time, lightly dredge fish cakes in flour, shaking off excess.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to keep fish cakes warm (as you will be working in batches).
• To cook fish cakes, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil in a 12-inch cast-iron pan over medium heat.Note: Cook fish cakes are cooked in batches, about 4 to 5 fish cakes per batch.
• Place about 4 to 5 fish cakes in the pan. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on one side.
• Flip fish cakes to the other side and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy. Transfer fish cakes to a baking sheet and place into your preheated oven to keep warm while you are finishing your batches.
• Repeat process to cook remaining fish cakes.Note: Monitor the temperature as you are cooking the fish cakes so that they don't burn. The skillet tends to get hotter as you are cooking your batches.
• Serve with mustard pickles and a drizzle of molasses (optional). Enjoy!

CRISPY POTATO FISH CAKES WITH COD

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cod, season with salt and pepper; cook until just barely opaque and flakey - better to ever-so-slightly undercook the fish than overcook it at this stage, as you'll be cooking it again in the cakes.
• Transfer to a bowl and break into large flakes with your hands. Add mashed potato, egg, green onion and enough bread crumbs so that the mixture holds a patty shape (if using leftover mash with milk or other liquid added, you'll definitely need the whole cup of crumbs). Use your hands or a big spoon to work everything together until well-combined.
• Place flour on a shallow plate. Form potato mixture into 16 equal patties between the palms of your hands, dredging both sides in the flour and transferring to a baking sheet as you go. Refrigerate fish cakes 20 minutes to firm up.
• Wipe out the fish skillet and return to medium heat; add remaining oil. When shimmering hot, add several fish cakes - you'll need to cook them in a few batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Serve with tartar sauce.

COD CAKES

Steps:

• Fill a shallow, wide pan with high sides with about an inch of water, and set it over high heat. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf and 1 section of the lemon to the water, and allow it to come to a bare simmer. Place the fish into this poaching liquid, and cook, barely simmering, until the flesh has just begun to whiten all the way through, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Using a wide spatula, carefully remove the fish from the water, and set aside to cool.
• Empty the pan, and return it to the stove, over medium-high heat. Add the butter, and allow it to melt, swirling it around the pan. When the butter foams, add the celery, onions and garlic, and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent, then transfer them to a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, salt, pepper and seasoning salt (or paprika and hot-pepper flakes), then add this mixture to the bowl with the sautéed vegetables, pour the crushed saltines or bread crumbs over them and stir to combine. Add the parsley, and stir again.
• Flake the cooked fish into the binding sauce carefully, keeping the flakes as whole as you can manage, then gather them into small balls, and form them into patties, 4-6 for a main course, 6-8 for an appetizer. Place them on a sheet pan or platter, cover loosely with plastic wrap and transfer them to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
• Set a large sauté pan over high heat, and add to it the neutral oil. When the oil is shimmering, remove the fish cakes from the refrigerator, and carefully sauté the patties until they are golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes a side. Work in batches if necessary. (A small smear of mayonnaise on the exterior of the patties will give them a crisp crust.) Serve them alone, or with greens dressed in a lemony vinaigrette, with the remaining wedges of lemon.

PAN-FRIED FISHCAKES

Steps:

• Heat a skillet to high and add 1/4 cup cooking oil, then the onion, carrot, celery, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until it gets going, then turn to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and browned very lightly, if at all, about 20 minutes. Use a lid or a splash of water if it's coloring too much before getting soft. Turn the mirepoix out onto a plate and set it aside to cool completely. Grate 1/2 teaspoon zest from the lime and set it aside.
• Chop the cod into 1/4-inch dice, place it in a medium bowl, and season it with 3/4 teaspoon salt and some grindings of black pepper. In the bowl of a food processor, combine a quarter of the fish with the cream and pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the fish purée back to the bowl of chopped fish along with the cooled vegetable mixture, cilantro, jalapeño, lime zest, 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, and 2 of the eggs. Stir with your hands and squeeze through your fingers to mix everything really well, then heat a skillet to medium, add a teaspoon of oil and fry a little piece for tasting. Adjust as needed and when you have the seasoning right, begin breading: Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a wide, shallow bowl, put the flour in another bowl, and the remaining 2 cups bread crumbs in a third. Have a baking sheet ready to receive the breaded cakes. Pat the fish mixture down in the bowl, smooth the top, divide it in half, then separate each half into 3 parts to make sixths. Scoop up half of one of the sixths, form it into a ball with your hands, flatten it into a patty, and place it in the flour. Turn the patty to coat, shake off the excess, and then place it in the eggs. Turn it to coat completely, let excess egg drip off, and then place it in the crumbs. Coat it completely with crumbs, set it on the baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining mixture until you have 12 fishcakes. Refrigerate them for 20 minutes to 6 hours before cooking.
• When you're ready, heat a skillet to medium-high and heat the oven to warm for holding one batch of fishcakes as you fry the rest. Add 1/4 inch of oil to the skillet and then as many fishcakes as will fit in a single layer. Fry, adjusting the heat as needed, until one side of the cakes is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn and brown the other side. Peek into one of the cakes to be sure it's cooked through and then keep the batch warm in the oven while you fry the rest. Right before serving, squeeze lime juice over the fishcakes.

COD CAKES

Steps:

• Add some salt and a bouquet garni of some bay leaves, lemon wedges and black peppercorns to a pot of boiling water. Add the cod fillets and boil for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cod from the water and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until tender. Drain, mash and cool completely.
• Pan-fry the onions in a little bit of canola oil until soft. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together the chilled cod, mashed potatoes, fried onions, sour cream, chives, mustard, scallions, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, white pepper and 1 tablespoon salt. Add the breadcrumbs and mix to combine. Form the mixture into 4-ounce cakes.
• Heat some oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the cakes in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side; add some additional oil and butter between batches as needed.

COD FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot of water, bring the water to a boil. Let the potatoes cook until they are almost tender.
• Add the fish to the pot and let the fish and potatoes cook until they are both soft. Drain well and transfer the potatoes and fish to a large mixing bowl.
• Add butter, onion, parsley, and egg to the bowl; mash the mixture together. Mold the mixture into patties.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Fry the patties on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.