Really good Fish Cakes
Ingredients
Fish
- 500g / 1 lb white fish fillets, skinless boneless, cut into 3cm / 1.2″ pieces
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Fish cakes
- 800g / 1.6 lb potatoes – Sebago (Aus), Russet (US), Maris Piper / King Edwards (UK) (makes 500g flesh)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 cup green onion, finely sliced (~1 large stem)
- 2 large red chillis, deseeded and finely chopped (can omit)
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp salt
Crumbing and cooking
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked
- 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs (sub ordinary breadcrumbs)
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil, for frying (~ 1cm / 0.4" depth)
Instructions
- 1
Bake potatoes - Bake potatoes in a 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan) oven for 75 minutes or until they can be pierced with a knife with no resistance. Cut in half and scoop flesh out into a large bowl.
- 2
Bake potatoes - Turn oven down to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan) – fish cakes are finished in the oven.
- 3
Cook fish (while baking potatoes) - Set a rack over a tray. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper.
- 4
Cook fish (while baking potatoes) - Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the fish and cook, turning, for 4 minutes in total. It should be just cooked inside (ie. flakes easily) but not golden.
- 5
Cook fish (while baking potatoes) - Transfer to rack to cool. Repeat with remaining fish.
- 6
Fish Cake Mixture - Sauté garlic: In the same skillet, add garlic, chilli, thyme and green onion into the leftover butter. Cook for 1 minute until garlic is golden, then pour over the potato, being sure to scrape out every drop of butter!
- 7
Fish Cake Mixture - Roughly mash potato: Add parsley and salt, then use a wooden spoon to roughly mash the potato. Don't use a potato masher, we want some chunks, not smooth mashed potato.
- 8
Fish Cake Mixture - Mix in fish: Add fish then gently stir through, breaking it up a bit so you have some nice flakes mixed throughout the potato. Don't mash the fish up too enthusiastically – we want fish chunks!
- 9
Fish Cake Mixture - Form fish cakes: Scoop out 1/4 cup of mixture. Pack it in firmly, pop out onto hand and shape firmly into a 1.75cm / 2/3" thick cake. The potato will make it hold together, if you press firmly. You should make 13 to 15.
- 10
Crumb and cook - Crumb: Coat in flour (shake off excess), dip in egg (let excess drip off) then coat in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere.
- 11
Crumb and cook - Pan fry 3 minutes: Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Cook fish cakes in batches for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until golden, then transfer to a paper towel-lined tray. If you're pedantic like me, stand them on their side and roll slowly to cook and make the sides golden too.
- 12
Crumb and cook - Bake 10 minutes: Remove paper towel from under the fish cakes. Bake for 10 minutes (this heats all the fish cakes all the way through into the middle + reheats the first batch cooked).
- 13
Crumb and cook - Serve with lemon wedges, tartare sauce, plain mayonnaise (Kewpie!), sour cream, ketchup or tomato sauce.
