Fishcakes

Recipe for: FISHCAKES 

Ingredients: 

• ½ to ¾ lb potatoes, peeled, boiled & roughly mashed
• 1lb skinless fish (haddock, smoked haddock, cod, salmon or a combination), steamed for a few minutes until cooked, then flaked
• 2 tblsp chopped fresh herbs – parsley, dill, tarragon all work well
• 5-6 spring onions, white & green parts, finely chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• Sunflower oil for frying

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• 1 egg, beaten (optional)
• 1 tblsp flour (optional)
• 115g white breadcrumbs (optional) 

Method: 

1. put the mashed potato, flaked fish, herbs, spring onions & garlic in a bowl and mix gently with a fork (you want to leave the flakes of fish as intact as possible)
2. using wet hands, shape lumps of the mixture into 4, 6 or 8 round patties (using a baking ring makes this a lot easier), but don’t make them too thick or they will be harder to cook properly
3. you can either leave them like this or else add a coating – dip into the flour, dust off, then into the beaten egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs
4. put on to a plate, cover with cling-film, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour, but preferably longer
5. when ready to eat, heat the sunflower oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and fry the fish-cakes for about 5 minutes each side, or until golden, using a spatula to carefully turn them over 

What else you need to know: 

1. this is a basic recipe, so you can use whatever fish or combination is handy
2. try to get more fish than potato – you only want enough potato to act as the “glue” to hold the cakes together
3. with or without a coating? – both are delicious!
4. serve with a tartare or tomato dipping sauce, or else with a hot pouring parsley sauce