How To Make Fish Cakes ( With Homemade Tartar Sauce)

fish

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: canned tuna

Tofu offers a plant-based option, while canned tuna is more affordable.

potatoes

🥗Healthier: sweet potatoes

💰Cheaper: mashed potatoes

Sweet potatoes add nutrition, while mashed potatoes can be a budget-friendly alternative.

bread crumbs

🥗Healthier: ground oats

💰Cheaper: crushed crackers

Ground oats are healthier, while crushed crackers can save costs.

lemon juice

🥗Healthier: lime juice

💰Cheaper: vinegar

Lime juice provides a similar tang, while vinegar is often cheaper.

Preheat the oven to 190° C fan.

Place 600 g of Maris Piper potatoes onto a baking tray and bake for around 1 hour until completely cooked through.

Season 280 g of cod with sea salt and ground white pepper and set aside.

Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Prepare 2 spring onions by removing the tatty leaves, cutting off the root, and chopping them small.

Zest 1 lemon using a microplane.

In a frying pan over low heat, add 20 ml of olive oil and 30 g of unsalted butter.

Lay the seasoned cod in the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side until completely cooked through, then remove and place on a plate to cool.

Drain most of the oil and butter from the pan, then add the chopped spring onion and garlic, cooking for 1 minute to remove the rawness before removing from the pan.

Prepare a homemade tartar sauce by dicing 2 pickled gherkins, roughly chopping 25 g of capers, and dicing 1 shallot (optional).

Chop 10 g of flat leaf parsley.

In a mixing bowl, combine 150 g of mayonnaise, the diced gherkins, capers, shallot, and parsley, and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Mix until fully combined and set aside.

Once the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven, cut in half, and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl, breaking it down slightly with a fork.

Add the lemon zest, cooked onion and garlic, and flake the cod into the potato mixture, discarding any skin.

Chop 15 g of flat leaf parsley and add to the bowl, then season with salt and pepper, mixing everything together and tasting for seasoning.

Shape the mixture into six equal-sized balls and press them down into patties.

Set up three bowls: one with 100 g of plain flour, one with 2 whisked eggs, and one with 100-150 g of panko breadcrumbs.

Coat each fish cake by dipping it into the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, and finally into the breadcrumbs until fully coated.

Heat oil suitable for deep frying in a pan over medium-high heat, using about 2 inches of oil.

Cook the fish cakes for roughly 3-4 minutes on each side until fully golden brown, then remove and place onto a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil, doing this in batches.

Optionally, bake the fish cakes at 180° C for 15-20 minutes, spraying with oil before baking, until golden brown.

Serve the fish cakes with homemade tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens