fish

fish cakes

servings
4

method

Not only do homemade fish cakes taste miles better than shop-bought ones, but if you make your own you know exactly what goes in them; the cheap factory-made ones can often be filled with rubbish. This recipe is so tasty that it’s a really good idea to double or triple the quantities and freeze batches for another day – just make sure you defrost them thoroughly before using, then follow the cooking instructions below.

To prepare your fishcakes
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Peel your potatoes, chop them into even sized chunks (or use the left over potatoes from your baked potatoes – scoop out the potato and discard the skin), add the potatoes to the boiling water and bring back to the boil. Rub the salmon filet all over with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. When your potatoes have half way cooked, place the salmon into a colander, then cover this with foil, and place the colander over the pot of boiling potatoes. Turn the heat down and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the salmon and potatoes are both cooked. Remove the fish from the colander and put to one side. Drain the potatoes in the same colander, then return them to the pot and let them steam dry for a minute. Pick the parsley leaves and finely chop them, discarding the stalks. Mash the potatoes, spreading the mash round the sides of the pan to help it cool down quickly. Remove any skin from the salmon. When the potatoes are cooled, put it into a bowl and flake the fish into it with 1 tablespoon of flour. Add the egg and chopped parsley with a really good pinch of salt and pepper. Finely grate over the lemon zest, then mash and mix it up really well.

To Make Your Fishcakes
Dust a plate with a little of the extra flour. Divide your fish cakes into 4, lightly shape and pat into circles about 2cm thick, dusting them with flour as you go. Put them onto a clean plate also dusted with a little flour. – If you are going to freeze them at this point, wrap them in clingfilm and put them into the freezer. Otherwise simply pop them into the fridge for an hour before cooking – this will allow them to firm up slightly.

To Cook Your Fishcakes
Put a large fry pan on a medium heat and add a couple of lugs of olive oil. When the oil is nice and hot, add your fishcakes and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden – you may need to cook them in two batches. Serve straight away, with lemon halves for squeezing over, serve with lovely vege or a cool crisp salad. These fish cakes also go really is you use tuna instead of the salmon.

ingredients

• 300 gms potatoes
• 100 gms salmon fillet, skin on and no scales on the skin, all bones removed
• A small handful of fresh parsley
• 1 egg
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plain flour (extra for dusting)

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1. by bethangell on Wed 11 Jan 2012 @ 15:12

These were lush - But I coated them in sesame seeds and also served with a chili dip . Very nice

2. by pauline on Sun 08 Jan 2012 @ 18:40

I cooked fresh filets of salmon in a pan with a little olive oil, crushed garlic and finely chopped spring onions with added crushed chillies ...... you can use tinned salmon instead and gently let saute . I also cooked my potatoes in water with a vegetable stock cube and then mashed then with a little butter and lots of black pepper and some corn flour which makes them lighter and then dusted then either in the corn flour or breadcrumbs ...... I left out the egg because it makes them a bit sloppy .

3. by Aftab Ali on Sat 07 Jan 2012 @ 19:00

Great recipe and easy to adapt. I used salmon and also some finely chopped king prawns and added some left over smoked haddock. Added some Thyme and a sprinkle of garam massalla (standard in all my cooking), coated in some flour and home made bread crumbs. Lush.

4. by PAUL on Sat 07 Jan 2012 @ 11:15

I USE SMOKED SALMON TRIMMINGS FROM THE SUPERMARKET AND ADD A COPPED CHILLIE

5. by John B on Thu 08 Dec 2011 @ 19:05

great fishcakes...we made extra and froze them: sadly, when defrosted they were far too soft and gooey to use agin: Have we done something wrong?

6. by Noisy on Sat 19 Nov 2011 @ 16:03

GR8!!! I made these fishcakes with good quality tinned salmon, diced feta cheese and half a chili chopped finely!!

7. by sokelengl on Fri 18 Nov 2011 @ 14:10

Finally I found a fish cake recipe that doesn't die a flat in the oven. Fantastic ! I use cod in replace of the salmon. It is stil delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Lisa www.bakingfrenzy.com

8. by pramod on Fri 18 Nov 2011 @ 00:51

thanks for the idea.. I will surely make one for me :)

9. by Phil on Sat 12 Nov 2011 @ 13:21

This sounds a great recipe. Can I follow it using whiting? (Caught myself and frozen) Also is it ok to bake the fishcakes in a halogen oven? Thanks

10. by George on Wed 09 Nov 2011 @ 10:16

I don't think there is any reason to use fresh (farmed) salmon. Tinned salmon is tastier, probably wild salmon, and has a 'convenience factor'.

11. by Mr Bryant on Fri 21 Oct 2011 @ 14:23

I like fishcakes mind.

12. by Diana on Wed 12 Oct 2011 @ 21:00

Tried this recipe today and it was sooo good! Is the 3rd time I try making fish cakes but the 1st one I get them right! Thank you for the recipe :)

13. by matthew on Wed 28 Sep 2011 @ 14:26

Steaming the salmon in the colinder over the potatoes is a pain in the butt i think next time i'm going to use the dishwasher as many people on the internet have said wrapping it in tin foil and popping it in as its steaming is the best idea

14. by jordan on Thu 15 Sep 2011 @ 13:02

can you please tell me how to eat my fish cakes aswell

15. by jordan on Thu 15 Sep 2011 @ 12:58

can you please tell me how to eat my fish cakes aswell

16. by sallyc on Mon 22 Aug 2011 @ 12:20

lovely easy recipe but isn't the ratio of fish to potato the wrong way round? I found it too potatoey and eggy - will cut down on these next time and try coriander instead of parsley.

17. by sandy on Thu 07 Jul 2011 @ 13:23

hi im cooking this recipe as i type but with dill instead of parsley and a crushed chillies as a kick to the bite

18. by vila viknes on Mon 04 Jul 2011 @ 06:21

I tried this recipe with stingray and added carrot for some sweetness and chopped curry leaves. They tasted so good. My boys wanted more. Thanks Jamie for your wonderful recipe and sharing thoughts.

19. by amphibian on Tue 31 May 2011 @ 17:54

liked the coriander variation. I find parsley yuck.

20. by Rosebud on Thu 21 Apr 2011 @ 00:35

These are deliciious, moist fishcakes. I poached the salmon instead in some milk, thyme, 1/4 onion and pepper and then flaked. Also added some grated onion and spoonful of sour cream to the mix. Good recipe to take the idea and go with. Easy peasy and yum.

21. by eddie on Mon 11 Apr 2011 @ 22:32

great recipe

22. by arlene on Mon 28 Mar 2011 @ 09:47

With it being Lent, i am desperate for various recipes! I will be trying this one tonight, but will replace salmon with hake instead - i remember years ago Granny used to use hake :) Thanks Jamie, you're the BEST!!

23. by Chris on Fri 25 Mar 2011 @ 18:48

I followed the recipe, but with one small change, cilantro (coriander leaves) instead of parsley..gave it a nice little spicy kick that brought the flavor up a notch..yummmm.

24. by Debz67 on Sun 20 Feb 2011 @ 18:34

I actually made the fish cakes today. Wow! Was so impressed. Much better than bought ones. As i said in an earlier post, i keep away from fish as i am not a fan. I made them with cod. So tasty. Thanks again. x x x

25. by Debz67 on Thu 10 Feb 2011 @ 21:52

I'm not a lover of fish at all. But, i'm going to try these with cod instead. Cod and dare i say it on here, tinned tuna are the only fish that pass my lips! Wish me luck! :-)

26. by Queency on Mon 15 Nov 2010 @ 14:35

Thx 4 the recipe!
I did them and added cheese in the preparation and used coriander as herb... DELICIOUS!!!
You've got to try it!

27. by Fatima8 on Mon 15 Nov 2010 @ 10:39

My husband is in charge of this recipe and it's a staple in our household menu. He cooked it only last Saturday. He uses coriander instead of parsley for a more exotic flavour: Delicious!

28. by Sean Ovenden on Mon 11 Oct 2010 @ 00:36

Will be trying your recipe but with an added extra. Spring onion and a touch of lemongrass. With a sweet chili dip. Just gotta make smaller cakes they last longer...lol. Jamie we behind on your American tour. They have chefs but we got you. Tell you lot what they taste like. Sean

29. by kayleighreeves on Mon 04 Oct 2010 @ 23:31

Cant wait to try this one. Me and my lil bro of 4yrs love fish and usually have the horrible frozen fish cakes that put me off ever eating them again, but im definatly gonna cook this for me and my bro so we can enjoy our fish again. Ill let yo know how we get on. Thanx Jamie.

30. by Strid on Wed 25 Nov 2009 @ 02:20

YUM...i've always wanted to make my own fish cakes but been put off by over complicated recipes...I am so glad you have this one on here for people to try....my family andI just had them and we all agree they were fab....we used tuna instead of salmon and dill instead of parsley, added a bit of cornmeal with the flour.....Thanks Jamie...my family and I are thrilled to have this site to visit so we can try new recipes and we will definatley "pass it on"!

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