Spicy Fishcakes
This is a basic recipe – pimp it as you wish - you can’t go wrong. I've used a combination of smoked and unsmoked haddock, but salmon, fresh or tinned, or any combination of seafoodwill work really well.The recipe serves 3 people but aim for the same quantity of fish as you do mashed potato. This is a great Low GL supper with plenty of flavor.
You will need:
300g raw fish fillets – smoked haddock, cod, or salmon – skin on
1 large potato – about 300g - chopped up with the skin on
3 spring onions, roughly chopped
about 200mls of milk
1 tsp red curry or chipoltle paste, or 1 finely chopped fresh chili
1 handful of fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped (snip with some scissors in a mug).
1 tsp lemon zest
Lots of freshly ground pepper
2 tbsps plain flour to dust the fish cakes
Method:
Start by chopping up and boiling the potato in some lightly salted water. You don’t need to peel the potato – the skin has lovely nutrients and fibre, so keep them in!
Meanwhile, chop the spring onions and put the milk in a pan to warm. Add the spring onions to the milk and gently poach them. It will bubble, so keep it low. Then add the fish and again, gently poach, spooning the milk over the fish. It won’t take long and it’s OK if the fish starts to flake. After 5 or 6 minutes, remove from the heat and gently peel off the skin if there is some.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan. Tuck a clean dishcloth over them and let them steam to dry for a minute. My Irish grandmother taught me this and it’s a top tip! Add some butter at this stage too and let it melt.Mmmm.
Get a largish clean bowl. Mash the potatoes in the pan and add them to the bowl. Gently flake the fish in next. Add the rest of the milk , any remaining spring onions and the chiptle or other chili paste. Gently combine. Season genorously with pepper and add the parsley and lemon zest. The mixture should be cool enough to handle, but leave for a while if not.
When you’re ready to fry, sprinkle the plain flour over a large plate and season with pepper (you could add use some paprika, turmeric or chili powder here fore extra anti-oxidants). Gently make patties from the mixture and then lay them in the flour. Turn them over and them ‘wheel’ to coat the sides. You should have 6 good-sized fish cakes.
Fry them gently in olive or coconut oil. You can use the same pan it turn some broccoli spears over in the oil or wilt some curly kale. Serve hot. Flippin’ delicious!