FISH CAKES - 3 WAYS

- METHOD -

BREAKFAST: Smoked haddock fish cakes (Prep 30 mins; Bake 35 mins; Makes 8)

3 large floury potatoes

1 cup onion, very finely diced

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

500g smoked haddock

1 tsp Cape Herb & Spice Chipotle Chilli

2 Tbsp melted butter

Method:

Peal and boil potatoes until soft, then drain and mash. Fry onions in oil over low heat until they’re soft. Cut haddock up until it’s very fine, almost mush. Mix together the mashed potatoes, cooked onion and haddock. Add the Cape Herb & Spice Chipotle Chilli and mix thoroughly. Form into fish cakes. Place fish cakes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and paint fish cakes with melted butter. Bake in a pre-heated 180˚C oven for 35 minutes until cooked through. Top each fish cake with a poached egg and that’s breakfast done!

LUNCH: Asian tuna fish cakes with sweet ’n sour chilli dipping sauce (Prep 20 mins; Cook 20 mins; Makes 5)

For the fish cakes:

500g fresh tuna

2 stalks lemongrass, very finely chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

¼ tsp Cape Herb & Spice Chipotle Chilli

¼ tsp salt

For the dipping sauce:

8 Tbsp water

juice of half a lime

1 tsp Cape Herb & Spice Chipotle Chilli

1 tsp corn flour, dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

2 sprigs coriander, leaves only, finely chopped

Method: 

Dice the tuna very finely. Mix tuna with the rest of the fish cake ingredients and use hands to shape fish cakes. Fry fish cakes over medium heat in a non-stick pan with a bit of vegetable oil until cooked through.

To make the dipping sauce, add all the ingredients except the coriander to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat down and allow sauce to cook for two minutes.  Remove sauce from heat and stir in coriander.

DINNER: Salmon fish cakes with chilli straw fries (Prep 20 mins; Cook 25 mins; Makes 6)

For the fish cakes:

600g fresh salmon

1 spring onion, white and green parts, very finely sliced

1 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

¼ tsp salt

zest of one lemon, finely grated

For the chilli straw fries:

2 extra large potatoes

Cape Herb & Spice Chipotle Chilli

vegetable oil, for deep frying

Method: 

Dice the salmon very finely. Mix salmon with the rest of the fish cake ingredients and use hands to shape fish cakes. Fry fish cakes over medium heat in a non-stick pan with a bit of vegetable oil until cooked through.

Peel the potatoes and julienne into thin strips – if you have a julienne peeler this is fast and easy. If not, take your time and use a sharp knife to slice potatoes into strips as thin as possible. Heat a saucepan with at least 5cm vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, drop strips of potatoes in. Because they’re so thin they’ll fry crisp and golden super fast. Drain fries on kitchen paper and dust them with Cape Herb & Spice Chipotle Chilli.

Serve your salmon fish cakes and chilli straw fries with a fresh peppery salad of watercress, finely sliced fennel and radish, dressed simply with a squeeze of lemon. The acidity and pepper notes of this salad form the perfect foil for the richness of the salmon.

 

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley.

Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za