Tower and Town, March 2019 (view the full edition)
March Miscellany: A Good MealNothing 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Beat a couple of eggs in one bowl, and make enough breadcrumbs for another bowl.
- 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.
- 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 |