Fishcakes are a true British staple. Usually made with leftover mash and specked with smoky fish, the patties are then covered in breadcrumbs and fried to a crispy perfection. I’ve given my fishcakes a slight Asian twist, adding ginger and wasabi to the mix and serving them with a fresh and spicy cucumber salad.
This recipe is from my first book.
For the fishcakes:
550g floury potatoes
400g salmon fillet
20g butter
2 tsp wasabi
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp chopped parsley
50g flour
2 small eggs, beaten
80g breadcrumbs
2 tbsp sunflower oil
30g butter for frying
salt and pepper
For the wasabi mayonnaise:
6 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tsp wasabi or strong mustard
4 tsp chopped capers
For the salad:
1 large cucumber
2 shallots
1 ½ tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 red chili
6 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
3 tsp sugar
4 tbsp sunflower oil
4 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Serves 4 – Prep 50’ – Refrigeration 30’ – A little effort
For the fishcakes, peel the potatoes and cut into evenly sized chunks.
Put into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until tender, but not mushy.
Drain and put back into the saucepan, then roughly mash. Add the butter, wasabi, ginger, lemon juice and parsley and mix well. Meanwhile, put the fish into a large pan and just cover with water. Bring to a simmer, then gently cook for 3–5 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets, until the skin, if any, pulls off easily, and it’s just beginning to flake.
Discard the skin, break into large flakes and add to the potatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix until everything comes together.
Use your hands to shape the fishcake mix into 8 large cakes or 12 smaller ones. The mix will be quite soft; if it seems really too soft to handle you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes before shaping it.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad dressing and the mayonnaise. Peel and finely chop the shallots and put into a bowl with the ginger. Cut open the chili and remove the seeds, chop and add to the bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, sunflower oil, sesame oil and soy sauce, cover and set aside.
Prepare the mayonnaise by adding the wasabi and chopped capers, refrigerate.
Put the eggs in a shallow bowl, tip the flour and breadcrumbs on to separate plates. Dip each fishcake into the flour, the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated. Put into the fridge for at least half an hour to firm up. (The fishcakes can be frozen at this stage and cooked another time.)
Heat a frying pan with the oil and butter until the butter begins to foam. Add the fishcakes, in batches if necessary, and cook for 5 minutes on a medium-high heat until golden. Then turn them carefully over and repeat on the other side.
Meanwhile, wash the cucumbers and cut lengthways. Scoop out the watery seeds and cut the cucumber into slices. Serve with the dressing and sprinkle with coriander.
TIP:
For a smoky version, you can replace the salmon with hot smoked salmon
