This recipe always makes me smile. Making fishcakes brings back so many fond memories from when I was younger. Me and my mum would spend some time together making these, creating mess and also something tasty and full of goodness.
I use a mixture of cod and smoked haddock in these fishcakes but you can mix and match the fish as you like. Prawns and cod, crab, salmon and chilli! Literally go to town on the combos! The ingredients themselves are fairly basic, as is the process which is why I was making these with my mum from such a young age. So if you’re a novice cook, or you want to try and get your kids engaged in cooking! This is a great start.
So let’s start with a few tips to make these fishcakes extra yummy! Sometimes fishcakes can be mushy and that doesn’t really appeal to me. The best way to prevent this is to roughly mash the potatoes without any milk, cream or butter. This helps to prevent sloppy fishcakes and I think finding small pieces is quite nice and adds to the overall taste/texture.
The other key thing to remember is don’t make the fish too small. I cut the fish into cubes before poaching and then, once drained I spoon them into the potato and gently fold. The fish will naturally flake but it won’t completely disintegrate. This helps to keep a nice flavour as you’ll get good fish content and you’ll be able to see the fish too – As you can see above with the bite of haddock which are a darker yellow and the cod which is white.
When you get around to dusting the fishcakes with flour, don’t go overboard! The best thing to do is to place one side of the fishcake in the flour and then gently toss the fishcake from one hand to the other until it’s all gently coated in flour. Then dip it into the egg. You need even coverage of egg as this ensures that the breadcrumbs stick. However make sure the egg is whisked well because you don’t want lumps of egg white on the side of your fishcake! For the breadcrumbs I blitz up half a loaf of the Schär Gluten free wholesome loaf. It makes great crumbs that always turn a lovely golden brown in the oven. Make sure you cover the fishcakes well, and turn them half way through cooking so that they’re golden all over!
If you don’t like getting your hands dirty, getting the kids to do the flour, egg and breadcrumbs is great! They think it’s fun and messy and you can just watch them do the hard work! Also by getting kids involved in cooking foods, they’re more likely to eat them! This is great with recipes that include fish as we all know that omega 3 is great for the developing brain!
I’ve done another recipe card for you all, print it off and slide it into your recipe collection or just use it on your phone/tablet to help you create these delicious and perfect for Friday’s, fishcakes.
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