These fish cakes could be made with any firm fish but cooked sea trout, salmon or trout, would be the best. The quantity of fish to potato is approximately one to two with egg yolk and a dusting of flour to bind, with spring onions softened in butter and masses of chopped herbs – mint but mainly parsley. The mixture made eight big, thick fishcakes but could be worked into double the number of small ones. They were given the feb treatment – flour, egg and breadcrumbs – and quickly pan fried until crisp and golden. Lovely with anything creamy; I chose pea puree (frozen petits pois), mint, two tablespoons crème fraiche and another two of cooked water. Blitz smooth and serve hot, warm or cold.
Serves 4, generously
Prep: 30 min
Cook: 30 min
600g King Edward potatoes
35g butter
4 spring onions
350g flaked cooked pink fish
flour
2 eggs
generous handful of flat leaf parsley
about 20 mint leaves
200g fresh fine breadcrumbs
oil for frying
Peel, chunk, rinse and boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender. Drain and dry mash with 25g butter. I use a Mouli-legumes for perfectly smooth mash but a few lumps and bumps are fine. Spread out to cool slightly in a mixing bowl. Meanwhile, finely slice the spring onions and soften in remaining 10g butter. Flake the fish, taking care to remove all bones; mine had many fine bones that are hard to discover but worth taking care to locate. Sift 1 tbsp flour over the potato and add 1 egg yolk, the white and other cracked egg added to a second mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon to work yolk and flour into the mash. Scatter onions and their buttery juices over the top and add the fish and chopped mint and parsley leaves. Season with salt and pepper and use a spatula to mix thoroughly; the fish will break up further but don’t be too brutal with your mixing. Flour your hands and quickly work the mix into a ball. Quarter the ball with one hand and form 2 fish cakes from each quarter, patting the edges flat and transferring to a plate as you go. Cover with a stretch of clingfilm and chill for at least 20 minutes. Whisk the eggs smooth, place half the breadcrumbs on a plate. Dust a new plate with flour, transfer the fishcakes to the floured plate and lightly dust all of them with more flour. Working on one fishcake at a time, carefully pass it through the egg and then into the crumbs to completely but lightly cover. Return to the original plate, cover with a stretch of clingfilm and chill again for at least 20 minutes. Have whatever else you plan to eat with the fishcakes ready, then heat 5cm depth of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 3 fishcakes at a time so they aren’t crowded in the pan and use tongs to turn after a couple of minutes when the surface is crisp and golden brown; don’t forget the sides. Rest on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the next batch. Serve immediately.