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Tower and Town, March 2019

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March Miscellany: A Good Meal

Nothing nicer than a hearty meal of fishcakes, with cheese sauce and peas, so here is my version of a fishcake recipe:-

for the fish content
50% white fish (cod or haddock); 25% smoked fish (undyed); 25% salmon/trout.

for extra taste
1 jar of anchovies - I like to use the whole jar - you could use less, but they do give a lovely fishy saltiness to the fishcakes.
1 whole bunch of parsley - discard the stalks and chop - again I like to use the whole bunch. Or try another herb such as dill, or a mixture of dill and parsley.

for the binding agent
Mashed potato made with lots of butter and pepper - ratio of 1:2 potato to fish (no salt because of the anchovies, and no milk or cream as you do not want your mash too wet)
Method:
  1. Poach the fish in milk. Put all the fish together in a big pan, cover with milk and bring to the simmer gently; once simmering remove from heat and let the fish stand for 5 minutes.
  2. While the fish is cooking put the chopped parsley in a big bowl; chop the anchovies into small pieces and add to the bowl; then add the mashed potato and stir everything together.
  3. When the fish is cooked, drain in a colander and remove any skin and bone; flake the fish into the big bowl with all the other ingredients and combine thoroughly.
  4. Beat a couple of eggs in one bowl, and make enough breadcrumbs for another bowl.
  5. When the mixture is cool, shape the fishcakes; dip each fishcake in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs covering both sides. You can then freeze them in whatever quantities suits you best; it is helpful to put a piece of greaseproof paper between fishcakes you are freezing in the same batch.
  6. When cooking, defrost fully and fry both sides first in butter until nicely browned before popping them in the oven for 15 minutes at 160 C to heat through fully. Serve with cheese sauce and peas.

David Du Croz

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