Angela Nilsen’s fishcakes. Delightfully crispy on the outside, tender, moist and flaky on the inside, this is the best fish cakes recipe. Paired with the tartar sauce these fish cakes are sure to be a smash hit!
INGREDIENTS Serves 4
For the tartare-style sauce
125ml mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers roughly chopped
1 tablespoon creamed horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small shallot very finely chopped
1 teaspoon flatleaf parsley finely chopped
For the fish cakes
450g skinned cod
2 bay leaves150ml milk
350g Maris Piper potatoes
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon flatleaf parsley chopped
1 tablespoon chives chopped
1 egg
flour
85g fresh white breadcrumbs
3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil
lemon wedges and watercress to serve
METHOD
Mix together the mayonnaise, capers, creamed horseradish, Dijon mustard, shallot and the parsley. Set aside.
Lay the cod and the bay leaves in a frying pan. Pour over the milk and 150ml water.
Cover, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 4 mins. Take off the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 mins to gently finish cooking the fish.
Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into even-sized chunks. Put them in a saucepan and just cover with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 mins or until tender, but not broken up.
Lift the fish out of the milk and put on a plate to cool. Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave for a min or two.
Tip the potatoes back into the hot pan on the lowest heat you can and let them dry out for 1 min, mashing them with a fork and stirring so they don’t stick. You should have a light, dry fluffy mash.
Take off the heat and beat in 1 rounded tablespoon of the sauce, the lemon zest, parsley and the chives.
Season well with salt and pepper. The potato should have a good flavour, so taste and adjust to suit.
Drain off liquid from the fish, grind some pepper over it, then flake it into big chunks into the pan of potatoes.
Using your hands, gently lift the fish and potatoes together so they just mix. You’ll only need a couple of turns, or the fish will break up too much. Put to one side and cool.
Beat the egg and lightly flour a board. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet.
Divide the fish cake mixture into four.
On the floured board, and with floured hands, carefully shape into four cakes, about 2.5cm thick. One by one, sit each cake in the egg, and brush over the top and sides so it is completely coated.
Sit the cakes on the crumbs, patting the crumbs on the sides and tops so they are lightly covered. Transfer to a plate, cover and chill for 30 mins (or up to a day ahead).
Heat the oil in a large frying pan. To test when ready, drop a piece of the dry breadcrumbs in – if it sizzles and quickly turns golden brown, it is ready to use.
Fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 mins on each side or until crisp and golden.
Serve with the rest of the sauce (squeeze in a little lemon to taste), lemon wedges for squeezing over and watercress.
Original Recipe Angela Nilsen BBC Good Food
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